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GOOD ENGLISH 


BY Tim SAME AUTHOR 


A BIBLIOGRAPHY OF SAMUEL 

TAYLOR 

COLERIDGE. With portrait. 


Regular Edition 

$2.00 net . 

Large Paper Edition 


EARLY REVIEWS OF ENGLISH 

POETS. 

With Introduction and Notes. 


Regular Edition 

$1.20 net. 

Library Edition 

. 2.00 net. 

THE NAME OF WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE. 

A Study in Orthography .... 

$1.00 net. 


MONSIEUR D’OR. A Dramatic Fantasy. 
Regular Edition $1.20 net. 


GOOD ENGLISH 


A PRACTICAL MANUAL OF 
CORRECT SPEAKING AND WRITING 


JOHN LOUIS HANEY, Ph.D. 

PROFESSOR OF ENGLISH PHILOLOGY AND HEAD OF THE DEPARTMENT 
OF ENGLISH, CENTRAL HIGH SCHOOL, PHILADELPHIA 


REVISED EDITION ^ 


PHILADELPHIA 
THE EGERTON PRESS 
1917 



Copyright, 1915, I 9 I 7 
By John Louis Haney 


* c 

< « « 

C c< 

/ 

OCT -8 1917 



PRESS OF 

THE NEW ERA PRINTING COMPANY 
LANCASTER, PA. 


©CU473891 


PREFACE 


In this book an effort has been made to present 
in convenient, alphabetical form a series of brief 
notes on various words and phrases that are 
loosely used in our familiar speech. It is gen- 
erally recognized that early in life most of us ac- 
quire careless mannerisms of expression that are 
not always corrected by the formal instruction 
which we receive later in English grammar and 
composition. In fact, even those who have en- 
joyed the advantages of college or of university 
training realize that the most admirably graded 
courses of instruction in English frequently fail 
to accomplish the prime purpose of giving the 
student a ready and precise command of the 
mother tongue. In later years, when the value 
of good English becomes more apparent in our 
social and business relations, we may readily make 
the effort to improve our speech, but the some- 
what complicated text-books and even the larger 
dictionaries will often fail us when we seek light 
on some disputed point of usage. For this reason 
the present compilation has been stripped as far 
as possible of technical explanation, and the com- 


IV 


PREFACE 


ments have been arranged in alphabetical order 
with extensive cross references to facilitate con- 
sultation. The examples in most instances are 
chosen from everyday speech, as such practical 
and familiar illustrations are likely to prove more 
useful than set quotations selected from our 
classic writers. 

It may seem like a misnomer to apply the title 
“ Good English ” to a book that is largely made 
up of specimens of bad English. Certain it is 
that much of the instruction to be derived from 
such a work as this must be negative in charac- 
ter. No claim is made that the book will give 
an aspiring writer the secret of an effective style, 
but it should at least aid him in ridding his pages 
of crude locutions that would bring discredit upon 
his literary efforts. Moreover, it should be a 
convenient help to the less ambitious person who 
wishes merely a clear and readily accessible opin- 
ion upon the merits of a dubious word or phrase. 

Over a century has passed since the name of 
Lindley Murray became a byword for all that 
was supposed to be orthodox in English speech. 
In the long array of grammarians that followed 
him we recall such names as William Cobbett, 
Goold Brown, Professor Bain, Dr. Latham, and 
a host of others whose books are now virtually 
obsolete. About the middle of the nineteenth 


PREFACE 


V 


century Dean Alford and Archdeacon Trench in 
England, together with Richard Grant White in 
America, undertook to tell the English-speaking 
world how our language should be used. There 
was rejoicing among the innumerable offenders 
when such trenchant critics as George Washing- 
ton Moon and Fitzedward Hall assailed those 
self-constituted arbiters of good English and ex- 
posed the grammatical and rhetorical errors in 
their supposedly unblemished writings. 

A transitional epoch toward a more modern 
attitude is reflected in the work of the late Pro- 
fessor Adam S. Hill, of Harvard University, an 
authority of conservative tendency, yet one who 
did not hesitate to shape his teaching from time 
to time to make it accord with the best thought 
of the day. The variations that occur in succes- 
sive editions of Professor Hill’s standard works 
indicate that he realized, as few of his predeces- 
sors did, that the English language is a living, 
plastic medium of expression — a vehicle that re- 
fuses to accommodate itself to the arbitrary rul- 
ings of the grammarians. In our own day such 
writers as Professor Thomas R. Lounsbury and 
Professor Brander Matthews have gone still fur- 
ther in their contention for linguistic freedom of 
expression and have occasionally stirred to in- 


VI 


PREFACE 


dignant protest the more conservative authorities 
that cling to the dogmatic rulings of the past. 

Thanks to the indefatigable labors that pro- 
duced the New English Dictionary and to the 
recent notable revision of our best American dic- 
tionaries, we now possess an extensive stock of 
illustrative material that ensures greater elasticity 
of English usage in the future. Hidebound crit- 
ics who are incensed at every infraction of their 
treasured rules of usage should become familiar 
with that material, so that they may not continue 
to regard the more liberal teachers of the present 
day as high authority for the encouragement of 
linguistic anarchy. 

The constant fear is expressed by certain writ- 
ers that our mother-tongue is in danger of “ con- 
tamination ” and “ defilement. ,, They dread the 
“ hideous intrusion of slang,” the admission of 
“ discredited vulgarisms” to good standing, and 
the coinage of “ abominable hybrids.” They 
forget that no slang can endure save by its own 
merit ; that no vulgarism will be admitted to good 
standing until it has ceased to be a vulgarism; 
that no hybrid will be recognized until it has 
justified itself. Need we remind such critics that 
familiar words like salary and desire were once 
slang, that mob was a discredited vulgarism, or 
that automobile and dentist are hybrids? We 


PREFACE 


vii 


admitted those and hosts of similar words to 
good standing because we felt that we needed 
them. Shakespeare never wrote “the house is 
being built” nor can Milton be cited as sponsor 
for “the books are being examined ” but since 
their day we have come to recognize the passive 
progressive construction as thoroughly good, in 
spite of the insistent protest of certain critics 
who oppose its use. 

Most practical men and women of to-day re- 
alize the futility of quoting Shakespeare or Milton 
as authority for any dubious locutions that oc- 
cur in colloquial use at the present time. Con- 
versely, they admit the folly of condemning an 
expression, merely because it cannot be found in 
a classic of three centuries ago. Shakespeare 
wrote “ How much more elder art thou than thy 
looks,” but persons of good taste would not quote 
that passage to justify double comparatives of 
their own. In the King James version of the 
Bible we read : “ Whom do men say that I the 
Son of Man am?” {Matt. xvi. 13.) Are we 
likely to accept even such authority to justify 
grammar that is manifestly bad? Most of us 
desire to know what usage prevails among the 
best speakers and writers of our own day. It is 
easy enough to show that at times men like Byron 
and Shelley wrote lay for lie , or that Burns oc- 


viii 


PREFACE 


casionally split an infinitive, but . the important 
question is, What will my friends and associates 
say of my English if I do that sort of thing in 
casual conversation? What we seek is English 
that is beyond reproach, not distinguished author- 
ity for English that is questionable. 

Let it not be supposed that we are striving for 
absolute uniformity in our manner of speech. 
There is no good reason why those who have 
fixed views on the pronunciation of either and 
neither , of tomato , process , appendicitis, and sim- 
ilar words should yield their preferences. Why 
should a person who chooses to say “ I could not 
help laughing ” find it necessary to condemn 
another who feels inclined to express his thought 
as “I could not but laugh”? Would there be 
any real gain if the entire English-speaking world 
were to come to a general agreement on the val- 
ues of the a’s in “ My aunt will feed the calf at 
half-past two o’clock this afternoon”? Why 
condemn the multitude who remark “ It’s me ” 
quite as naturally as the highly educated person 
says “ It is I ” ? The latter form would be quite 
as unexpected from many estimable persons as 
“ Them’s my sentiments ” from the lips of a col- 
lege graduate. Between the intellectual stages of 
the illiterate and the college graduate there is a 
very considerable body of intelligent persons to 


PREFACE 


ix 


whom “ It is me ” is natural and conventionally 
correct. To that great group the academic “ It 
is I ” would seem as unnecessary a refinement as 
a frock coat and top hat on a farmer while plow- 
ing his fields. 

In our familiar use of the language nearly all 
of us desire to avoid the criticism of those who 
constitute our own social circle. We do not wish 
to make ourselves conspicuous by super-refine- 
ments of speech or by an artificiality of manner 
that may eventually make us ridiculous. We 
seek to avoid discredited words and phrases, how- 
ever, because we must feel, more or less con- 
sciously, that no amount of personal or social 
influence can atone for the vulgarity of mind 
that is reflected in vulgarity of speech. 

Let us then banish our fears that the language 
is in danger of defilement from “ atrocious news- 
paper English ” or from the “ discredited pages ” 
of our popular novelists. The effects of such 
“ contamination ” need not be feared as long as 
persons of refined tastes insist upon criteria of 
speech as they do upon criteria of social conduct. 
No man who is striving for social recognition will 
wear a scarlet tie with his evening clothes, nor 
will he eat peas with a knife, yet he should re- 
alize that, although he may dress correctly and 
eat properly, he may meet his social nemesis when 


X 


PREFACE 


he mispronounces theater, deficit, or genuine; his 
career may be blasted by a confidentially whis- 
pered “ between you and I.” 

Curiously enough, while few of us would con- 
tradict a lawyer who is expounding a legal point 
or a doctor who is explaining some detail of 
medical practice, many persons seem to feel that 
their own opinions are as good as another's when 
it comes to a matter of correct English. There 
was much bitterness of spirit in the vigorous de- 
bates concerning the “Queen’s English” in the 
mid-Victorian days, and only a few years ago 
a writer of somewhat imperfect preparation, who 
undertook to uphold the cause of good English in 
a New York newspaper, offered a shining mark 
for the caustic critics, who did not fail to make 
the most of the opportunity. George Washing- 
ton Moon, who wielded his pen long and earnestly 
in the cause of pure speech, put the matter 
bluntly when he wrote : “ He who assumes the of- 
fice of public critic should himself be prepared to 
submit to the ordeal of public criticism through 
which he has made others pass.” It is not to be 
expected that the present work will be exempt 
from such criticism. Some will find the conclu- 
sions -too tolerant ; others will insist that they are 
far too dogmatic. Differences of opinion are in- 
evitable, and the dissenters are certain to assail 


PREFACE 


Xl 


the venturesome person who presumes to tell his 
fellow-men how to use their mother tongue cor- 
rectly. 

In conclusion, I wish to express my obligations 
to Professor Lane Cooper, of Cornell University, 
who kindly read the manuscript of the book and 
to Dr. Ernest Lacy, of the Philadelphia Central 
High School, who looked carefully over the 
proof-sheets. Professor Cooper and Dr. Lacy 
offered many useful suggestions, but it would not 
be proper, however, to hold them responsible for 
any particular statement made in the text, as they 
did not always concur in the views herein ex- 
pressed. I am also indebted to Mr. Edward W. 
Bok and to the Curtis Publishing Company for 
permission to quote freely from articles that I 
contributed during the past four years to the 
Department of Correct Speaking and Writing in 
the Ladies' Home Journal . 

J. L. H. 

Central High School, 

Philadelphia. 















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A 


a — an. A should be used before words begin- 
ning with a consonantal sound, an before words 
beginning with a vowel sound, as “ a cat,” “ an 
antelope,” “an emu.” Note that the initial 
sound and not the initial letter of the following 
word determines the form. Thus “a unicorn” 
and “an heir” are correct. In England and to 
some extent in America an is used before a 
sounded “ h ” or before “ u ” and “ eu,” especially 
if the first syllable is unaccented, as “an histori- 
cal novel,” “an hotel,” “an university,” or “an 
hypothesis.” British usage tolerates an even 
when the first syllable bears the accent, as “an 
hospital,” “an uniform method,” or “an eulogy.” 
The Authorized Version of the Bible has an be- 
fore a sounded “h” in all but two or three in- 
stances. For example, “an house,” “an hand- 
maid,” “an holy nation,” “an hiding place.” 
Similar cases abound in the older writers. Be- 
fore humble American usage prefers a as “a 
humble person,” but before herb the form an is 
more popular, although “a herb” is favored in 
England. 

2 I 


2 


GOOD ENGLISH 


ability — capacity. One has ability to do some- 
thing, capacity to receive or understand some- 
thing. Thus one person has the ability to teach, 
another has the capacity to learn. Ability, as 
the power to perform, usually results from train- 
ing and education ; capacity, as a receptive power, 
is regarded as a natural gift. 

above. The use of above as an adjective in 
such phrases as “the above statement ” or “the 
above question” has been widely condemned. 
It is tolerated in colloquial use and in business 
correspondence, as in “ Kindly quote your best 
price for the above assortment.” In such cases 
“foregoing assortment” or “assortment men- 
tioned above ” would sound stilted. Some' au- 
thorities censure the use of above for more than, 
as in “ There are above fifty children in the class ” 
or “I enjoy swimming above any other sport.” 

absolute construction. A participial phrase 
in which a noun is used absolutely often causes 
an awkward construction. Thus “ The time hav- 
ing arrived, they started on their journey” or 
“ The enemy having been sighted, the soldiers 
were ordered to advance.” In some instances 
the construction seems acceptable, though readily 
improved, as in “ She began to sing, the audience 
listening eagerly” or “The sermon ended, they 
began to leave the church.” Better examples are 


GOOD ENGLISH 


3 


“I stood silent, my heart too full for speech” 
and “ Helen rushed in, her hair streaming in the 
wind.” On the other hand, this construction 
makes possible such sentences as “ Looking out 
of the window, an automobile was seen” or “ Be- 
ing a counterfeit, the bank teller refused to ac- 
cept the coin.” Do we wish to convey the thought 
that an automobile was gazing from the window 
or that the bank teller was a fraud ? 

accept — except. These words should not be 
confused. “ Please except my thanks ” is wrong. 
“I should be pleased to accept all the books ex- 
cept those that are damaged” is correct. Note 
that of is unnecessary after accept t as in “We 
were unable to accept of his kindness.” 

acceptance — acceptation. Acceptance indi- 
cates the act of receiving, as in “ the acceptance 
of an invitation.” Acceptation was formerly cor- 
rect in the same sense as acceptance, but is now 
used to indicate the meaning of a word, as in 
“ Genius, in the modern acceptation, is merely a 
capacity for hard work.” 

accord. Generally accord means to agree with, 
as “ That accords with my ideas on the subject.” 
It should be used with discrimination in the sense 
of grant or extend. In expressing the bestowal 
of honors or the recognition of merit accord is 
properly used, as in “We accorded him due praise 


GOOD ENGLISH 


for his efforts ” or “ The highest honors were 
accorded to the explorer.” Avoid such common- 
place applications as “ He was accorded five dol- 
lars reward ” or “ His employers accorded him a 
longer vacation.” 

accredit — credit. Accredit has various well- 
defined meanings: (i) to invest with authority, 
hence to send with letters credential, as “ an ac- 
credited envoy to a foreign power”; (2) to give 
credence to or repose confidence in, as “ Not even 
his own party would accredit him”; (3) to as- 
cribe or attribute, when followed by with , as “ The 
King was accredited with all the virtues of his 
age.” Credit means to believe, as “ I cannot 
credit that rumor ” and is also used commercially 
in the sense of acknowledging an amount paid, as 
“ We credit your account fifty dollars.” 

address — direct. A few authorities contend 
that these words are not synonyms. We are told 
that we address a letter at the beginning to the 
person who is to read it, but that we direct the 
envelope to the person who is to receive it. Thus 
a packet directed to the Blank-Dash Co. may con- 
tain a letter addressed to Mr. Blank. This dis- 
tinction is not generally observed and can hardly 
be maintained in view of the widespread official 
use of “ wrong address to say nothing of our 
modern addressing-machines or addresso graphs. 


GOOD ENGLISH 


5 


admire. Sometimes admire is used colloqui- 
ally for like, as “ I should admire to see you win 
that prize ” or “ We should admire to join your 
party.” The verb should never be used thus with 
the following infinitive. 

admission — admittance. In most cases ad- 
mittance is preferred for literal meanings and 
admission for figurative use. Thus we seek ad- 
mission to society or to a college, admittance to a 
house or room. When certain privileges are in- 
volved in entering a building admission is pre- 
ferred to admittance. A contractor who is erect- 
ing a theater may forbid admittance to the un- 
finished structure, but when performances are 
finally given the public secures admission, not 
admittance. Thus we justify <( Admission } one 
dollar.” The popular expression “No admission 
except on business” usually means “No ad- 
mittance.” 

admit — confess. Admit means to grant or 
concede a fact, as in “ I admit that the work has 
not been well done.” Confess is a stronger term 
and usually implies the revelation of what is 
known to be wrong, as “ He confessed that he 
had raised the check.” It is, however, closely 
synonymous with admit in parenthetical use, as 
“It was not, I confess, without some hesitation 


6 


GOOD ENGLISH 


that I ventured to open the door.’’ Note also “ I 
must confess that I had a better opinion of him.” 
adore. See love. 

advent. Do not use advent as a synonym for 
arrival in a commonplace sense. We may prop- 
erly refer to “ the advent of death ” or “ the ad- 
vent of spring,” but not to “ the advent of a min- 
strel show in a country town.” 

advise — persuade. We advise a person when 
we offer counsel, but we do not persuade him un- 
less he accepts our advice. “ I persuaded him 
repeatedly, but he refused to yield ” is therefore 
incorrect. The use of advise for inform f as in 
“ Kindly advise us how many dozen you will 
need “ is tolerated in commercial correspondence. 

a few. This expression has been questioned 
because a is singular and few is plural. It is 
quite as correct as “ a pair,” “ a great many,” and 
similar forms. Note the difference between few 
and a few. “ Few men would vote for him” 
suggests by implication that possibly none would 
vote for him ; “ A few men would vote for him ” 
definitely indicates some votes as certain. See 
few. 

affable. Affable often has the suggestion of 
condescension to indicate a person’s gracious 
manner toward his inferiors, as “that affable 
prince” or “an affable ruler.” It is also used 


GOOD ENGLISH 


7 


widely in the sense of courteous without regard 
for social status. 

affect — effect. Affect means to influence or to 
act upon ; effect means to accomplish or to achieve. 
Both words are correctly used in the following 
passage : “ It is by such results as we effect that 
we are most likely to affect the lives of those 
about us. We cannot hope to effect our own 
intentions if we acquire careless habits that affect 
our industry and our ambition.” Observe that 
effect is incorrect in “ His health was seriously 
effected by the trip” and also in “They were 
much effected by the news.” 

afraid. We sometimes use afraid colloquially 
to express regret or inability, as “ I am afraid I 
cannot join you” or “I am afraid I shall not be 
able to oblige you.” The word fear is similarly 
used and in such cases is regarded as idiomatic. 

after. After is often superfluous before hav- 
ing, as in “ After having heard the concert we re- 
turned to our homes.” It is properly used before 
the present participle, as in “ After hearing the 
concert we went home.” 

aggravate. The verb aggravate should not be 
used in the sense of annoy or irritate , as “ The 
maid aggravates me by her insolence.” It really 
means to intensify or to make worse, as “Drink- 
ing cold water aggravated his fever ” or “ He ag- 


8 


GOOD ENGLISH 


gravated his offense by resisting arrest.” Even 
careful writers occasionally use aggravate in the 
colloquial sense. 

ago. Ago may be used of time recently past 
or long past, as “ two days ago “ three years 
ago ” or “ a century ago ” Some purists contend 
that ago refers to more remote time than since. 
This is perhaps partly true, as in “a few days 
since ” and “ a long time ago .” A better distinc- 
tion is that ago carries the mind back from the 
present, whereas since starts from some point in 
the past. Thus “ I met them three years ago , 
but I have not seen them since .” 

agreeable. Never make use of agreeable for 
agreeably in business correspondence, as in 
“agreeable to your instructions” or “agreeable 
to your order.” The form agreeably with is bet- 
ter than agreeably to. 

agreeably disappointed. Always avoid agree- 
ably disappointed in the sense of pleasantly sur- 
prised, as “We feared that it would rain to- 
day, but we were agreeably disappointed ” If the 
clear weather caused agreeable surprise the use of 
disappoint is unjustified. 

ain’t. Formerly the abbreviations amn’t and 
an’t were in use to some extent colloquially, but 
ain't has always been condemned as vulgar. Even 
worse is the abbreviation of “ it ain’t ” to tain’t. 


GOOD ENGLISH 


9 


Sometimes ain't occurs for has not and have not , 
as “ He ain't got any money ” or “ They ain't been 
to see us for a month.” See hain’t. 
alike. See both alike. 

all. Such forms as you all, we all, etc., are 
commonly heard in the South. You all occurs 
even when one person is concerned, as in “ Good 
morning, Fred, are you all going to the station?” 
There is no authority for such usage. For the 
use of a negative after all see all . . not. 

all — whole. Do not confuse these words. All 
refers to the individuals that comprise the en- 
tirety, whole regards the object as a unit. Thus 
“ The flood spread over all the valley ” is wrong. 
We should say “the whole valley.” Similarly 
“ The whole people crowded into the public 
square” should be “All the people crowded into 
the public square.” 

all along. All along in the sense of continu- 
ously or from the beginning is not an American- 
ism, although it is often condemned as such. It 
occurs in Addison, Freeman, Newman, and Mat- 
thew Arnold. The Bible has an illustration of 
this “Americanism” at Jeremiah , xli. 6. 

all . . not. The use of not after all frequently 
results in an ambiguous statement. “All of us 
are not rich ” may be interpreted by some as “All 
of us lack wealth” and by others as “Some of us 


IO 


GOOD ENGLISH 


lack wealth.” Contrast the ambiguity of “All 
women are not eligible to hold office” with the 
precision of “All women are ineligible to hold 
office.” There are, however, many acceptable 
instances of the use of all . . not, as in “All is not 
gold that glitters” or “All is not well.” See 
not all. 

all of. Of is frequently superfluous after all, 
as in “All of the boys were promoted” or “All 
of the guests wore fancy costumes.” The use of 
the preposition in such instances, although com- 
paratively modern, is not an error in English. 
The expression all of them is popular, but has 
been condemned because of them seems to sug- 
gest a part and thus contradict all. The purists 
permit “two of them,” “some of them,” “most 
of them,” and even “ nearly all of them,” but 
they draw the line at all of them. See both of. 

all of a sudden. The popular expression all 
of a sudden is frequently regarded as colloquial, 
but it occurs in Sheridan and in other good writ- 
ers. Of a sudden is found in Swift, and on a 
sudden in Milton, Macaulay, and Newman. All 
three expressions have established their position 
as good English. 

all over — over all. Some authorities suggest 
that instead of saying “ all over the country ” we 
should say “over all the country.” Both ex- 


GOOD ENGLISH 


II 


pressions are correct, sometimes with a difference. 
Contrast “ Have you looked all over the papers ?” 
with “ Have you looked over all the papers ?” 

all the further. Do not use all the further for 
as far as. For example, the sentence “This is 
all the further I have read the Bible ” is incorrect. 

allege. Allege is very common in journalistic 
use, together with claim, intimate, assert, etc. 
Thus “ The prisoner alleged that he had merely 
requested assistance/’ Newspapers frequently 
make such guarded statements in order to avoid 
legal complications. “It is alleged that the at- 
torney offered Senator Blank a bribe” is far 
more circumspect -than “ The attorney offered 
Senator Blank a bribe.” 

alleviate. Remember that alleviate does not 
mean to cure or even to relieve. A person who 
is suffering from headache is relieved when the 
head ceases to ache, but his headache is alleviated 
when it is lessened or lightened to any degree. 

allow. Allow should not be used in the sense 
of admit or declare, as in “ They allowed that I 
was right ” or “ He allowed that we had the finest 
farm in the country.” This usage prevails in 
certain rural districts. 

allude — mention — refer. To allude means to 
refer in a delicate or indirect manner; to men- 
tion is to name outright ; to refer is to draw the 


12 


GOOD ENGLISH 


attention of the mind. Thus “ The orator alluded 
to his experiences during the war,” but “ The 
speaker mentioned Mr. Jones as the donor of the 
fund.” Similarly, “The chairman referred to 
the high cost of living and mentioned various 
causes for the present state of affairs.” 

allusion — delusion — illusion. An allusion is 
an indirect reference or hint ; a delusion is a false 
belief, a misconception, and usually implies that 
which is harmful; an illusion is an ascription of 
reality to something that exists only in fancy. 
Compare the “ illusions of youth ” with “ the de- 
lusions of the stock-gambler or of the inebriate.” 
Illusions may be of the senses, as in a mirage or 
in moving pictures ; delusions usually imply 
mental error, as in the vagaries of insanity. 

almost. This word should not be used as an 
adjective in such expressions as “an almost hero” 
or “the almost insanity of the moment” (Haw- 
thorne). Compare the colloquial use of near in 
“near- silk” or “a w^ar-diamond ” to indicate 
close imitations. Be careful to place almost in 
the right position. Note the error in “ It was 
the best game of ball I almost ever saw.” 

alone — only. Alone means unaccompanied or 
single, as in “ He went alone” Only means that 
of which there is no other, as in “ She is our 
only child.” The Bible and our earlier writers 


GOOD ENGLISH 


^3 


afford examples of alone used as we now use only, 
as “ Not alone at Ephesus, but almost through- 
out all Asia.” (Acts, xix. 26.) 

already. Observe the difference between al- 
ready and all ready in “We have already visited 
the museum’’ and “We are all ready to visit the 
museum.” 

alright. This combination should never be 
used for all right. Unlike already, almost, etc., 
it has no legitimate existence. Always regard 
all right as two words. 

alternative. An alternative is strictly a choice 
between two things, but colloquially it is used 
somewhat loosely for a choice among several 
things, as in “ Napoleon saw that he must choose 
one of three alternatives.” We should avoid 
other before alternative, as in “ Having missed 
the train he had no other alternative but to walk 
home.” 

altogether. Altogether must not be confused 
with all together. Altogether means entirely; 
all together means all at the same time or place. 
Thus “ This garment is altogether too heavy for 
wear in the tropics,” but “ Our parents desire to 
see us all together at the Christmas dinner.” 

A. M. — a. m. Either capitals or small letters 
may be used in writing a. m. and p. m. Recent 
authorities prefer the small letters. 


14 


GOOD ENGLISH 


amateur — novice. Care should be taken to 
discriminate between amateur and novice. An 
amateur is one who follows some pursuit for 
pleasure and not in a professional way. In ath- 
letics an amateur is one who has never accepted 
money for his activities in sport. A novice is a 
beginner and by implication has the shortcomings 
that are attributed to beginners. An amateur 
may be as expert as the most widely heralded 
professional. A novice is inexperienced and may 
be either an amateur or a professional. Note, 
however, that the adjective amateurish implies 
superficiality or inexpert achievement. 

among — between. Do not confuse among, 
which may apply to any number, with between, 
which applies to two only. Thus “ They divided 
the apples between John and Mary,” but “They 
divided the apples among the six children.” In 
certain cases even careful writers use between 
for more than two, as “ The appointment lay be- 
tween Brown, Jones, and Smith” or “There was 
constant quarreling between Harry, Lucy, and 
Mary.” The rule breaks down when we refer 
to “the train that runs between New York, Phil- 
adelphia, and Chicago” or “the steamer that 
plies between New York, Boston, and Portland.” 
In such cases among is impossible, though a 
steamer may ply “ among the Thousand Islands.” 


GOOD ENGLISH 


*5 


among one another. This phrase is incorrect 
for among themselves, as in “ They divided the 
cakes among one another 

among — amongst. Amongst is an extended 
form of among and is similarly used, 
an. See a. 

and. Censure is sometimes directed against 
the use of and after come, go, and try in such 
cases as “ come and see me,” “ go and tell him,” 
and “try and improve your work.” Some writ- 
ers, however, accept this use of and as a well- 
established idiom. Note the popular expressions 
“ try and be reasonable,” “ mind and get every- 
thing ready,” “write and get information,” “go 
and seek,” “stay and help,” “stop and talk,” 
“write and tell,” etc. See try and. 

and etc. The abbreviation etc. stands for the 
Latin et cetera, meaning “ and other things.” To 
write and etc . therefore means to duplicate the 
and. This usage is always wrong, as in “The 
exports consist of lumber, grain, oil, and etc.” 

and who (which). Avoid such constructions 
as “ I spent my vacation reading David Copper- 
field, and which I admire very much ” or “ I read 
a good biography of Lincoln, and whom every 
true American venerates.” Such usage is more 
likely to occur when the clause is. removed from 
its antecedent, as in “Napoleon, the hero of 


GOOD ENGLISH 


x6 

Austerlitz, and who won many other battles, died 
at St. Helena.’’ Such use of and who is con- 
demned, but the following form is correct : “ Na- 
poleon, who was the hero of Austerlitz and who 
won many other battles, died at St. Helena.” It 
is noteworthy that instances of the “ incorrect ” 
construction occur in Fielding, Johnson, Thack- 
eray, Stevenson, Hawthorne, Lowell, Holmes, 
and Fiske. In fact, even Lindley Murray is 
guilty. 

anent. Anent is an obsolescent word which 
means concerning and is more likely to occur in 
affected literary usage than in popular speech. 
For example, “ Did he give you any information 
anent his contemplated departure?” is a stilted 
way of saying “Did he tell you why he. was 
going?” 

angry at (with). It has been suggested that 
angry at is preferable in reference to animals or 
to inanimate objects, but that angry with is pre- 
ferred for persons. Thus “He is angry at his 
failure to win promotion,” but “ He is angry with 
the foreman for refusing to promote him.” 

answer — reply. Some purists point out that 
we answer questions and reply to charges or as- 
sertions. This distinction is virtually ignored, 
especially by writers of fiction in their treatment 
of conversation. 


GOOD ENGLISH 


17 


antagonize. This familiar word is condemned 
in a recent British work as an Americanism, yet 
it is recorded as a good English word in Bailey’s 
Dictionary (1742) and in the 1773 edition of 
Johnson’s Dictionary. 

antecedents. The word antecedents in the 
sense of parentage , past life, or ancestry was con- 
demned as slang by DeQuincey and regarded as 
indefensible by Richard Grant White. It is now 
well established and generally recognized as cor- 
rect. It occurs in Newman, Thackeray, and 
Hawthorne. 

anticipate. Anticipate is not a synonym for 
expect or foresee. It means to take beforehand 
or to experience in expectation. The word is 
correctly used in “We should not anticipate the 
sorrows of the future” but it is loosely used in 
“We anticipate having a good time ” and in “No 
one anticipated that he could be elected.” 

anxious. We should avoid the use of anxious 
in the sense of desirous. It is a stronger term. 
Do not say “ I am anxious to visit the opera 
house ” or “ We are anxious to sell this property.” 
Anxious suggests anxiety or mental stress. It is 
therefore pleonastic to speak of “ anxiety of 
mind.” 

any. Avoid the use of any in such expressions 
as “Did you swim any in the creek?” or “He 


3 


i8 


GOOD ENGLISH 


hasn’t improved any.” It is correctly used in “ I 
cannot lend you the money because I haven’t 
any ” Note also that any should not be used 
for all after a superlative adjective, as “ Her coat 
is the finest of any” Compare “ New York has 
the greatest population of any city in America ” 
which should be “ the greatest population of all 
the cities” or “a greater population than any 
other city.” 

anybody else’s. See else, 
anyhow. Formerly anyhow was denounced 
as “ exceedingly vulgar ” or “ inelegant.” Now it 
is considered good English. It was used by Car- 
lyle, Newman, and Freeman. 

any place. Do not use any place for any- 
where, as in “I cannot find my hat any place” 
The phrase in any place is correct. 

anyway. Anyway , as a synonym for at any 
rate, has been criticized as an Americanism, as 
in " Anyway, you are entitled to assistance.” Its 
use is somewhat distinctive in “ He insisted on 
having it, but I had intended to give it to him 
anyway” The form anyways should always be 
avoided. 

anywheres. An incorrect form of anywhere. 
Compare somewheres, nowheres. 

a one. Omit a in such sentences as “ I invited 


GOOD ENGLISH 


*9 


eleven guests to dinner and not a one of them 
arrived promptly.” 

appear — seem. These words are widely used 
as synonyms, though it is well to remember that 
appear often refers to an effect on the senses and 
seem refers to an effect on the mind. Thus “ He 
appeared to be very weak” is better than “He 
seemed to be very weak.” On the other hand, 
“ He seemed to be inspired ” is preferred to “ He 
appeared to be inspired.” 

appreciate. Appreciate in the sense of in- 
crease in value is correctly used in “ Real estate 
on Broadway appreciates rapidly.” Although 
the older purists objected to this usage, an an- 
tonym to depreciate was necessary. 

apprehend — comprehend. In one sense ap- 
prehend means to grasp or to become familiar 
with an idea; in another sense it means to per- 
ceive. Comprehend means to understand fully. 
Thus we may apprehend infinity or the fourth 
dimension, yet not be able to comprehend them. 
We apprehend danger that threatens us, we com- 
prehend a speaker's purpose or meaning. 

approach. Do not use approach in the sense 
of appeal to, as in “ A committee was appointed 
to approach Mr. Carnegie for a contribution.” 
Such usage might justify “Mr. Carnegie fled 
when the committee approached to approach him.” 


20 


GOOD ENGLISH 


In our political jargon we are fond of approach- 
ing senators, representatives, and others in high 
station to secure influential support for our plans. 

approve of. Of is permissible but frequently 
unnecessary after approve f as “We do not ap- 
prove of the policy of the present administration.” 

apt — liable — likely. Do not confuse these 
words. Apt suggests a natural tendency, likely 
a probable contingency, and liable an unpleasant 
possibility. Thus “ A burnt child is apt to avoid 
fire,” “Mr. Jones is likely to arrive at six 
o’clock,” and “A wrong doer is liable to arrest.” 
“If you walk along the edge of the cliff you are 
likely to see a fine sunset, but you are liable to 
break your neck.” See liable. 

aren’t I? The expression aren't If occurs in 
colloquial British usage and is common in the 
drama and in fiction. It is not used to any great 
extent in America. Our vulgar ain’t If is not 
the alternative. We may say “ Am I not?” 

argue — augur. There is no reason for con- 
fusing these words. Argue means to engage in 
debate or discussion; augur means to predict or 
prophesy. 

arise — rise. While these words may be used 
interchangeably, arise is frequently figurative and 
rise is literal. Thus “Trouble arises in the min- 
ing districts,” but “The sun rises in the east” 


GOOD ENGLISH 


21 


and “ A man rises from his seat.” Compare “ A 
question arose as to Mr. Blank’s right to vote and 
Mr. Dash rose to speak in favor of Mr. Blank.” 

around. Around should not be used for 
about , as in “ I saw him around ten o’clock.” 

arrive safe (safely). “I arrived safe” and 
“I arrived safely” are both correct. The first 
emphasizes the speaker’s condition at his arrival ; 
the second indicates the manner of the arrival. 

arsonist. Recent writers have grieved the 
purists by applying the name arsonist to a pyro - 
maniac. In America the familiar term firebug 
seems to be preferred. 

as. The use of as for that should be avoided, 
as in “ I don’t know as I shall accept his offer.” 
Compare the vulgar expression “not as I knows 
on ” for “ not that I know of.” Among persons 
who are influenced by German usage as is some- 
times misused for than after a comparative, as in 
“ James is taller as his brother.” Some critics 
have objected to the use of as for because, as in 
“ I cannot accept your offer, as I have no money.” 
This use is, however, well established. 

as. .as — so. .as. Grammarians have taught 
that as. .as should be used in affirmative sen- 
tences, and so.. as in negative sentences, as 
“ Henry is as strong as Arthur,” but “ Lawrence 
is not so strong as Paul.” This rule is not gen- 


22 


GOOD ENGLISH 


erally observed. Moreover, both forms may be 
used in negative sentences with a neat shade of 
distinction. “Helen is not as pretty as Jane” 
is a mere comparison, but “ Helen is not so pretty 
as Jane” implies that Jane is really pretty. 
Again, in comparing the ages of children, we are 
not likely to say “ Willie is not so old as Bertie.” 
The correlatives so. .as are usually avoided in 
affirmative comparisons, as “ Henry is so good a 
swimmer as Charles.” 

as far as — so far as. The expression as far 
as is preferred to indicate actual distance; so 
far as is used in a figurative sense. For ex- 
ample, “ I' shall walk as far as Broadway ” and 
“We can ride as far as Clayton by trolley,” but 
“So far as we are concerned, the offer may be 
accepted ” and “ He went so far as to denounce 
his brother.” 

as follow — as follows. Some authorities note 
that when we refer to a singular noun we should 
use as follows , but when we refer to a plural 
noun we should prefer as follow. Thus “His 
explanation was as follows ” but “ His reasons 
were as follow .” However, as follows is nearly 
always used, irrespective of the number involved. 

as for. A recent writer condemns “as for 
me ” and recommends “ as to me.” It is hardly 
likely that “as for me” will become obsolete 


GOOD ENGLISH 


2 3 


while we cherish the words of Patrick Henry, 
“ I know not what course others may take ; but 
as for me, give me liberty, or give me death.” 

as if. See as though. 

as it were. We recognize as it were as an 
English idiom in the sense of as if it were or 
so to speak. Thus “ She became an adviser — 
an Egeria, as it were — to the King.” 

as — like. Do not use like for as or as if in 
such sentences as “ Turn like I do” or “It seemed 
like the boat must sink.” A simple rule will help 
in deciding which form is correct. When a verb 
follows, use as or as if; when no verb follows, 
use like. Thus “ He acts as a hero would act,” 
but “ He acts like a hero.” Attempts have been 
made to justify this misuse of like on the ground 
that it occurs in Shakespeare and elsewhere, but 
well-trained writers avoid it. The mere fact of 
its conspicuous presence in dialect stories, espe- 
cially in those dealing with life in our own Middle 
West, to give local touches to the conversation is 
enough to condemn such usage for the careful 
speaker. 

as long as. Avoid this phrase as a substitute 
for since or because, as in “As long as you failed 
to see him yesterday you need not bother him 
now.” 

as me. Note the ungrammatical use of me, 


24 


GOOD ENGLISH 


him , them , etc., after as in such cases as “ She is 
as old as me/’ “ I have as much money as him/’ 
and “ We are as careful as them.” The nomi- 
native case is required in each sentence. Thus 
the correct forms are : “ She is as old as I,” “ I 
have as much money as he,” and “We are as 
careful as they.” 

as. .than. See mixed comparisons, 
as that. The use of as that for that, espe- 
cially after so, is considered vulgar in modern 
English. It occurs frequently in Dickens, as in 
“I so arranged it as that 1 should meet Ham 
first.” In our earlier literature it appears to 
have been more acceptable. 

as though. We should not use as though for 
as if, according to some critics, yet this usage 
represents no violation of English traditions and 
is widely accepted as idiomatic, as in “ He treated 
me as though we had never met before.” 

as to. The words as to are frequently re- 
dundant in the popular phrases “ as to how,” “ as 
to when,” and “as to whether.” Thus “They 
raised the question as to whether he had done 
it ” and “ They inquired as to how this trick was 
accomplished.” 

assay — essay. While assay and essay are es- 
sentially identical, modern usage prefers assay 
for chemical experiment and gives to essay a 


GOOD ENGLISH 


2 5 


wider range of mental or physical effort. Chau- 
cer, Spenser, Shakespeare, and Milton afford in- 
stances of assay in senses for which essay is now 
used. 

at. The preposition at is often colloquial at 
the end of a question, as “ Where has he been 
at?” or “ In what town do you live at?” 

at all. Some writers object to the use of at all 
for intensive effect. They believe that “ It doesn’t 
rain ” is quite as emphatic as “ It doesn’t rain at 
all.” In colloquial use there is assuredly a dif- 
ference between “The Pages have no money” 
and “ The Pages have no money at all.” 

at auction. At auction has been condemned 
as incorrect for by auction. In general, at auc- 
tion is preferred in the United States, by auction 
in England. 

at best. Some critics have objected to at best 
as an incorrect form of at the best, but it was 
apparently good enough for Milton and still holds 
the popular favor. If it must be condemned, it 
goes down in good company with at last, at least, 
and at worst. 

at fault. This expression is considered less 
desirable than in fault or in error. British au- 
thorities generally oppose the use of at fault in 
the sense of blameworthy, as in “ He was not at 
fault in the quarrel.” The phrase has wide cur- 


GOOD ENGLISH 


2 6 

rency in America in the sense of wrong or mis- 
taken, as “Their theories on this subject are 
wholly at fault” 

at — in. We usually prefer in when we refer 
to a country, state, or city, but at is better when 
we refer to a town, village, summer resort, etc. 
Thus “ We formerly lived at Fairhills, but now 
we have apartments in Boston,” or “We spend 
part of the summer at Newport, the rest in 
Europe.” To indicate a destination at is pre- 
ferred, as “We shall arrive at Boston early in 
the evening.” See born at. 

at last — at length. At last is preferred by 
some authorities in referring to time; at length 
is recommended for in full or to a consider- 
able extent. Thus “At last they reached their des- 
tination,” but “ He wrote at length concerning 
his position in the matter.” It has been observed 
that at length emphasizes a period of waiting, 
whereas at last indicates final effect. 

at that. The use oi at that to emphasize an 
additional quality is considered vulgar, as “He 
bought a new automobile and a five thousand dol- 
lar one at that ” 
ate. See eat. 

audience — spectators. In accurate usage an 
audience assembles to hear something, but spec- 
tators assemble to see something. An audience 


GOOD ENGLISH 


27 


hears the opera or the play, though we also speak 
of seeing a play. Audience should not be ap- 
plied to those assembled to see a football game, 
a prize-fight, or moving pictures. Sometimes it 
is difficult to decide whether those assembled are 
primarily interested in what they see or in what 
they hear. Many wealthy patrons of grand opera 
may be described as spectators . 

augur. See argue. 

avenge — revenge. These words were for- 
merly synonymous, but now avenge suggests the 
infliction of punishment for retribution, while re- 
venge means the infliction of pain or mental suf- 
fering to satisfy a feeling of resentment. Wrongs 
are unselfishly avenged in the interests of justice, 
but revenge implies selfish retaliation. 

averse from. Formerly averse from met with 
more favor than averse to in England, but Eng- 
lish authorities now recommend averse to } which 
is the usual American choice. Averse from is 
found in Milton, Pope, Johnson, and Southey. 
Averse to occurs in Locke, Addison, Gibbon, and 
Burke. Both forms occur in Clarendon, Swift, 
and Macaulay. 

avocation. This word is often incorrectly 
used for vocation. A man’s vocation is his reg- 
ular calling, his avocation is whatever takes him 
away from his regular work — that is, his diver- 


28 


GOOD ENGLISH 


sion. (An avocation need not be a sport or pas- 
time. A doctor may pursue literature or a law- 
yer may study anthropology as an avocation . In 
the plural form avocations has unfortunately es- 
tablished itself as a synonym for vocation. Thus 
“ After the strike the workers returned peace- 
fully to their avocations .” 

awake — awaken — wake. At the present time 
these verbs are virtually interchangeable, though 
awake is preferred in the sense of cease sleeping, 
and wake is preferred in the sense of rouse from 
sleep. Awaken may be used in either sense and 
is preferred in figurative senses, as “ I should like 
to awaken your interest in their project.” 

awful — awfully. These words are much mis- 
used, especially in America, to express emphatic 
depreciation or to intensify a following adjective. 
One person’s manner or dress may be awful or 
“ in awful style,” another’s may be “ awful nice ” 
or “awfully pretty.” Such usage should always 
be avoided. The word is correct when it means 
inspiring with awe, as “ an awful disaster” or 
“the awful reverence due to the Deity.” 

aye. The word aye when pronounced to rhyme 
with day means forever; when pronounced like 
eye it means yes. In both meanings the spelling 
ay is also correct, but various writers prefer ay 
meaning forever and aye meaning yes. 


GOOD ENGLISH 


29 


B 

back. Back is redundant in such expressions 
as “ When will your father return back?” or “ The 
army retreated back to the hill.” Avoid also the 
use of back for ago, as in “ He wrote to me some 
time back ” or “ We met them three weeks back” 
This usage occurs, however, in Southey, Haw- 
thorne, Freeman, and many others. 

back from. The use of back from is colloquial 
in such cases as “When did you get back from 
the island?” or “Mr. Jones is not yet back from 
luncheon.” See be back. 

back of. Avoid the use of back of for behind , 
as in “ The barn stands back of the house.” The 
expression at the back of is less criticized. 

backwards. Backwards is used correctly in 
the same sense as backward. 

bad. The adjective bad is properly used in 
the sense of wicked (“ a bad man ”) ; injurious 
(“ a bad habit”) ; disagreeable (“a bad taste”) ; 
inadequate (“a bad plan”); defective (“a bad 
faucet”); counterfeit (“a bad coin”). Some 
critics object to its use in the sense of serious or 
severe as “ a bad storm ” or “ a bad break.” For 
the same reason they condemn “ a bad cold,” “ a 
bad case of typhoid fever,” etc., although this 
usage is wide spread. 


3 ° 


GOOD ENGLISH 


bad grammar. See grammar, 
badly. Badly is used colloquially in the sense 
of very much, as “ I need help badly ” or “ The 
house needs painting badly” Note the ambiguity 
of the preceding sentence. See feel bad. 

balance. This word should not be used for 
rest or remainder, as in “ I shall spend a week 
at the sea-shore and the balance of the summer 
in the mountains/' It is correctly used in “ The 
treasurer’s report showed a balance of thirty 
dollars.” 

barbaric — barbarous. Barbaric means char- 
acteristic of barbarian nations and is not neces- 
sarily uncomplimentary, as “a barbaric love for 
color” or “the barbaric splendor of the corona- 
tion.” Barbarous has acquired the meanings of 
cruel or inhuman, as “Those barbarous pirates 
terrified the inhabitants of the Indies.” 

be. The familiar grammatical rule that the 
verb be takes the same case after it as before 
does not give any trouble except in sentences 
that contain a pronoun. The following typical 
examples will serve to illustrate the correct 
forms : 

I know that it is he (she, I, we, they), 

I know it to be him (her, me, us, them). 

If I were he (she, they). I am he (she). 

If you had been he (she, we, they). 


GOOD ENGLISH 


3 1 


It is he ( I , she , we, they). 

That is not he {she, they). 

I supposed it to be him (her, them). 

It was supposed to be I (he, she, we, they). 

I should like to be he (she, they). 

It could not have been I (he, she, we, they). 

We are not they. These are not they. 

Can you imagine it to be us (him, her, them) ? 

Should you like to be we (he, she, they) ? 

Had you any thought of its being he (she, we, 
they) ? 

They had no thought of its being I (we, he, 
she, they). 

beastly. This word is a popular British equiv- 
alent for abominable or disgusting. In the sense 
of very or exceedingly it is heard to some extent 
in America in such phrases as “ beastly weather ” 
or “ beastly drunk.” The last illustration is 
an altogether unwarranted aspersion on the in- 
telligence of our lower animals, yet one purist re- 
gards this as the only defensible use of the word. 

beat. Beat is usually regarded as colloquial 
for defeated or surpassed, as “Jones beat his 
opponent by ten votes ” or “ Harry beats all the 
class in spelling.” This usage has excellent au- 
thority in Prescott and Matthew Arnold. Beat 
is also colloquial in the sense of baffles, as “ It 
beats me to tell how he manages to do it.” Avoid 


3 2 


GOOD ENGLISH 


the use of beat in the sense of exhausted or weary, 
as “ They were quite beat and disappointed.” 

be back. The use of be back for come back 
or return is sometimes condemned, as “ I’ll be 
back in a few weeks ” or “ When shall you be 
back?” Note, however, that be back indicates 
state rather than action. “ I’ll be back ” means 
“ I shall be here again.” See back from. 

been. Been is dialectal when used for been 
here, as in “ Has the grocer been?” 

been to. Some authorities object to been to 
as in “ I have been to the theater twice this week.” 
Others accept the expression as correct. Com- 
pare been at and been in, which are properly used 
in “ I have been at the service ” or “ I have been 
in the hospital.” “ I was to the theater ” is less 
desirable than “ I was at the theater.” We never 
say “ I shall be to the theater ” nor “ I am to the 
theater.” In both instances we use at. In 
“Where have you been to?” the to is super- 
fluous. 

beg leave. Beg leave is better than beg in “ I 
beg to acknowledge ” or “ I beg to announce.” 
Beg is used too much in business correspondence, 
as in “ we beg to inform you or “ we beg to say.” 
Such usage seems to be especially popular when 
the writer has some impertinent or insolent mes- 
sage to convey. 


GOOD ENGLISH 


33 


begin — commence — start. Although begin and 
commence are synonymous, begin is preferred 
in most cases. Commence is usually restricted to 
some form of action and is more formal than 
begin. The use of commence with a following 
infinitive is generally condemned, as in “ It com- 
menced to ram.” Start is preferred in the sense 
of setting out or getting under way. Commence 
is used to some extent in England in the sense of 
begin to be or of set up as. Thus “ He com- 
menced merchant in 1849” or “ They com- 
menced farmers after failing in trade.” Cole- 
ridge wrote “We commence judges ourselves.” 
This usage has good ancestry, but has become 
archaic. 

behalf. Note that on behalf of means on the 
part of another or in the name of another, as in 
“ On behalf of our president, who is absent, I bid 
you welcome.” In behalf of means in the inter- 
est of or for the benefit of, as “ Won’t you inter- 
cede in behalf of my brother?” This useful dis- 
tinction is largely disregarded in modern collo- 
quial speech. 

behave. Behave is regarded by some critics 
as improper in the sense of behave well. It 
seems insufficient to tell children to behave, be- 
cause they may behave badly. Most persons re- 
gard behave as idiomatic in such instances as 


4 


34 


GOOD ENGLISH 


“Will you behave yourself?’’ and “You must 
promise to behave” 

being. The word being is redundant in phrases 
such as “ being as you are here,” or “ being as 
you cannot join us,” etc. 

being built. See passive progressive, 
beside — besides. The attempt has been made 
to encourage the use of beside as a preposition 
and besides as an adverb. Usage does not war- 
rant this distinction. In various meanings the 
words are interchangeable. 

better. Better is sometimes used colloquially 
for more, as in “ It is better than a month since 
he was here” or “The depth is forty feet and 
better” It is used for greater in “ He spent the 
better part of the night pacing about his room.” 
Such use of better is less offensive than the other, 
but should also be avoided, 
between. See among. 

between each. Avoid the use of between 
each, as in “ Between each house there is a fence.” 
Each implies a unit and contradicts the idea of 
between. 

between, .or. These words should not be 
used as correlatives. Choose between, .and or 
either, .or. Thus, for example, do not say “He 
had to choose between full restitution or a crimi- 
nal suit.” 


GOOD ENGLISH 


35 


between you and I. This ungrammatical ex- 
pression was good enough for Shakespeare and 
appeals to careless persons of our time, but it is 
not defensible. Always say “between you and 
me ” and note that the other correct forms are 
“between you and us {him, her, them)” 
bid. Bid in the sense of bade has authority, 
but is not widely used, as in “ He bid the butler 
bring in the coffee.” We avoid confusion by re- 
serving bid in the past tense as a form of the verb 
bid, meaning to make an offer, as “ At the auction 
yesterday he bid fifty dollars for the pony.” 

bi-weekly. Note that bi-weekly means ap- 
pearing or occurring every two weeks. Com- 
pare bi-monthly and biennial. If we wish to in- 
dicate the idea of twice a week, month, or year 
we should say semi-weekly, semi-monthly, semi- 
annual. 

blame on. Critics object to the use of blame 
on in such cases as “ He blamed it ort me.” Pre- 
ferred forms are “ He laid the blame upon me ” 
or “ He blamed me ” 

blow. Blow in the sense of boast or brag is 
vulgar, as “Jack is always blowing about his 
ancestors.” 

bogus. The word bogus, meaning counterfeit 
or false, is American slang, as in “He had sev- 
eral bogus coins in his possession ” or “ He turns 


36 


GOOD ENGLISH 


out to be a bogus nobleman.” This word is 
generally avoided. 

born at — bom in. Use born at when villages 
and small towns are named ; born in when cities 
are mentioned. Tennyson was born at Somersby, 
Browning was born in London ; Irving was born 
in New York City, but Hawthorne was born at 
Salem. 

both. Avoid the use of both for each or 
either , as in “ A tall column stood on both sides 
of the entrance.” A column surely cannot stand 
on both sides, though according to rumor the 
Colossus of Rhodes stood on both sides of the 
entrance to the port. Note that both is redundant 
in such sentences as “ They both met at the 
theater” or “They both hate each other.” In 
using both with a negative verb we must guard 
against ambiguity. “ Both prisoners were not 
convicted” is ambiguous. See either. 

both alike. Both is redundant in such sen- 
tences as “The pictures are both alike.” 

both. .and. When the correlatives both, .and 
are used they should be so placed in the sentence 
as to leave no doubt concerning the words that 
are correlated. Instead of “James and Harry 
both regretted the incident and Harry apologized 
for their behavior ” write “ Both James and Harry 
regretted,” etc. Again “ I regard the Blank Piano 


GOOD ENGLISH 


37 


as superior both with respect to tone and action ” 
should be “ with respect to both tone and action. ,, 

both of them. Both of them, like all of them, 
has been condemned by certain captious critics. 
As for these expressions, both of them are good 
English; as for their critics, all of them are 
wrong. 

bother. The use of bother in the sense of take 
the trouble, as in “ Please do not bother to 
answer this note ” has been condemned as vulgar, 
yet it is found in the writings of Mr. Henry 
James. 

boughten. The word boughten occurs in dia- 
lect for ready-made, as “ I have one home-made 
dress and two boughten dresses.” England must 
share with America the responsibility for this 
curious word. 

bound. The use of bound to indicate per- 
sonal resolve or determination has been con- 
demned as colloquial, as in “He was bound to 
defeat his rivals.” A man may be bound to ful- 
fil a promise or to meet an obligation, but there 
is nothing binding about his own intentions or 
desires. Note that even the correct use of the 
word is figurative, as in “ Mr. Brown was bound 
to carry out the terms of the contract.” 

bountiful. Critics have noted that bountiful 
refers primarily to persons, not to things, and 


38 


GOOD ENGLISH 


that therefore we must not speak of bountiful 
crops or a bountiful supply of food. Such usage 
is widespread, however, and enjoys excellent au- 
thority. 

bran-new. This is a colloquial form of brand- 
new, as “ He has a bran-new suit of clothes.” It 
so happens that those who know both forms are 
not likely to use either form. 

brief — concise. An address may be brief, yet 
not concise ; it may be concise, yet not brief. 
Brief means short ; concise means condensed. 

bring — carry — fetch. Bring implies bearing 
toward or to the speaker; carry means to bear; 
fetch means to go, get, and bring. Thus we say 
“ Carry that box upstairs,” “ Bring me that book 
when you come down,” and “ Please fetch the 
trunk for me.” Bring suggests the proximity of 
the bearer to the object that is sought ; fetch sug- 
gests the proximity of the bearer to the speaker. 
Note the correct use of these verbs in I Kings, 
xvii. io, ii. 

broke. Broke is used colloquially to indicate 
that one’s money is gone, as “ I told him I was 
broke and needed five dollars.” Broken would 
be impossible in this sense, but dead-broke is a 
popular and emphatic variant. It occurs rarely 
before a noun, as in “lama broke man.” 

build. The verb build is used very broadly in 


GOOD ENGLISH 


39 


such expressions as “ build a fire ” or “ build a 
sewer.” Americans “build railroads,” but Eng- 
lishmen “lay railways.” 

bulk. Although bulk is sometimes condemned 
in the sense of greater part, even so careful a 
writer as Lord Morley said “ The bulk of the 
people must labor.” Such expressions as “the 
bulk of the debt” or “the bulk of his fortune” 
are widely used. 

burglarize. Both burglarize and burgle are 
coinages that should be. avoided. Burgle is at- 
tributed to the late W. S. Gilbert. 

but. But is sometimes incorrectly used with 
a negative, as in “ It won’t take but a minute to 
fill your order” or “We haven’t seen but three 
persons enter the store.” In both instances the 
verb should be affirmative. But should not be 
used for than after comparative adjectives or ad- 
verbs, as in “ He had no sooner entered the house 
but rain began to fall.” Than is also preferred 
to but in such a sentence as “ He had no other 
income than that which he inherited.” 

but him (he). Some doubt exists as to what 
case should be used after but in the sense of ex- 
cept. If we regard but as a true preposition we 
naturally expect the objective case, as “All were 
present but him ” or “ None but her attended the 
performance.” Some authorities prefer to re- 


40 


GOOD ENGLISH 


gard but as a conjunction and determine the case 
of the following pronoun by the expansion of 
what they deem an elliptical expression. Thus 
they would justify “All were present but he” 
as equivalent to “All were present but he (was 
not present). ’’ The second illustration given 
above would be expanded “None (attended the 
performance) but she attended the performance.” 
By these ingenious though rather contradictory 
statements they attempt to justify the nominative 
case where common sense suggests the objective. 
So simple a sentence as “ They gave prizes to all 
but me” also can be most awkwardly justified by 
the expansion method : “ They gave prizes to all 
but (they did not give a prize to) me” Mr. 
Robert Hichens in his novel The Garden of Allah 
made conspicuous use of this expression : 

“No one but God and I 
Knows what is in my heart.” 

Even more popular is Mrs. Hemans’s 

“ The boy stood on the burning deck, 
Whence all but he had fled.” 

Other notable instances of the nominative case 
after but may be found in Shakespeare, Chap- 
man, Macaulay, Newman, and Browning. Nat- 
urally those who sin find it agreeable to sin in 
good company. 


GOOD ENGLISH 


41 


but that. But that is often used after a main 
clause that implies negation, as “ I do not know 
but that it is better to go ” or “ I do not doubt 
but that you are surprised.” In sentences im- 
plying doubt that without a preceding but is now 
preferred, as “ I have no doubt that you will be 
able to get there in time.” 

but what. The use of but what for but that 
as in “ I do not know but what I shall go ” is 
now generally disapproved. But what is correct 
as a substitute for except that which , as in 
“They have nothing but what they inherited 
from their uncle ” or “ I spend nothing but what 
is my own.” 

by the name of. Critics have condemned by 
the name of when used for of the name of or 
named , as “ A man by the name of Percival called 
yesterday.” In some uses by the name of is the 
correct form, as in “Marian Evans is better 
known by the name of George Eliot.” 

by — with. When both the agent and the in- 
strument are mentioned, by is used before the 
agent and with before the instrument, as “The 
girl was wounded by the youth with his re- 
volver.” When the agent is not mentioned, by 
may be used for the instrument, as “The town 
was destroyed by fire” or “The explosion was 
caused by gas.” Compare “We are furnished 


42 


GOOD ENGLISH 


with electricity by the traction company ” and 
“ Our home is heated by electricity.” 

C 

cablegram. The purists objected to cable - 
gram as a worthless hybrid formation, but the 
word is now well established. Why assail cable- 
gram because of its French and Greek ancestry 
when we use without question a Gaelic-Hebrew- 
French-English mongrel like macadamized? Are 
we ready to drop from our vocabulary such hy- 
brids as around f because , plentiful, and starva- 
tion ? 

cafeteria. Do not use this curious substitute 
for cafe under the impression that it is a choice 
importation from the Spanish. Its pedigree is 
rather uncertain. 

calculate. Avoid the colloquial use of calcu- 
late, as in “ I calculate we’ll have rain before 
evening.” The misuse of the word in “ His con- 
duct is calculated to embitter his opponents ” is 
also objectionable. 

came near. Came near is colloquial for al- 
most or nearly when it is followed by a participle, 
as in “ I came near getting killed ” for “ I nar- 
rowly escaped death.” This usage is most com' 
mon in the past tense. 


GOOD ENGLISH 


43 


can — may. Although can and may are often 
confused, it is easy to use them correctly if we 
remember that can denotes ability and that may 
denotes permission. Thus “ Can you play the 
violin?” but “May I play your violin?” In nega- 
tive sentences, however, certain critics tell us 
that a permission refused amounts to a prohibi- 
tion and therefore they advocate cannot instead 
of may not when permission is denied. Accord- 
ing to this anomalous ruling, the affirmative 
answer to “May I go?” is “Yes, you may ” but 
the negative answer is “ No, you cannot.” One 
purist cites as an example “ Though we may say 
‘ a horse/ we cannot say ‘ a ox.’ ” But why tell 
a person that he cannot say ‘a ox’ when he is 
quite capable of saying it? If, according to that 
rule, we write “James cannot go” we are at a 
loss to determine whether James lacks permis- 
sion or ability to go. The argument in favor of 
cannot for permission denied is based on the fact 
that may not would be ambiguous. Thus when a 
dealer advertises “Toilet articles cannot be re- 
turned,” we certainly understand by this expres- 
sion that he refuses to take back such articles, 
not that the customer is incapable of bringing 
them back. On the other hand, “ Toilet articles 
may not be returned ” may mean either that the 
merchant will not accept them, or that there is 


44 


GOOD ENGLISH 


some doubt about their being returned. Every 
one must decide for himself which contention 
seems the more logical. 

can but — cannot but. A recent writer on cor- 
rect English urges his readers to say “ I can but 
go ” instead of “ I cannot but go.” This is bad 
advice for two reasons: it implies that the terms 
are synonymous and that cannot but is apparently 
a less desirable expression. Both expressions 
are correct, but they differ in meaning. “ I 
cannot but sympathize with you ” means “ I can- 
not do otherwise than sympathize ” or “ I am 
forced to sympathize.” This is a far stronger 
expression than “ I can but sympathize,” which 
means “ I can only sympathize ” or “ I cannot do 
more than sympathize.” 

can’t hardly. Avoid the use of can't hardly 
for can hardly, as “ I can't hardly wait till vaca- 
tion is here.” 

can’t seem. Do not use can't seem for seem 
unable , as “ Harry can't seem to solve that prob- 
lem.” 

capable. Capable has been criticized as less 
exact than susceptible in such phrases as “cap- 
able of being defended” or “capable of being 
understood.” Many would regard susceptible as a 
stilted word when thus used. 

capacity. See ability. 


GOOD ENGLISH 


45 


caption. Caption has been condemned when 
used for the title or heading of a chapter, sec- 
tion, or article. This use is far more common in 
America than in England. 

captivate — capture. Captivate means to fas- 
cinate; capture means to take prisoner. A girl 
captivates one by her charming manner ; a soldier 
captures a spy. In our older literature, and as 
recently as Burke, we find captivate used in the 
sense of capture. 

carry on. The use of carry on in the sense of 
become excited is colloquial, as in “Esther car- 
ried on dreadfully when she heard the news.” 
It also means to misbehave or to behave hilari- 
ously, as in “They never saw children carry on 
like those Johnson youngsters,” and “You should 
have seen the guests carry on at the dinner- 
party.” 

centenary. The word centenary has been as- 
sailed as a “recent innovation” used for cen- 
tennial celebration. Investigation shows that the 
word is recorded as early as 1788 and is well 
established. As centenary has long since cele- 
brated its own centenary the critics will do well 
to let it alone. 

center — middle. The center implies a definite 
point ; the middle refers to space, but is less defi- 
nite than center . Thus we may speak of “the 


46 


GOOD ENGLISH 


center of a circle ” but “ the middle of a field.” 
Compare “ He pierced the coin in the center” 
with “ He parts his hair in the middle” Middle is 
also used in terms of duration, as “ The middle 
of the night” or “The middle of the month.” 

chairwoman. Avoid referring to the woman 
who presides over a meeting as the chairwoman. 
Speak of her as the chairman and address her 
as “Madam Chairman.” If she is President of 
the society or club, address her as “ Madam 
President,” Never use the ridiculous coinage 
chairlady. See lady and -ess. 

character — reputation. Character is the sum 
total of a person’s qualities; reputation is the 
world’s opinion of a person. In other words, 
character represents what he is ; reputation , what 
he is supposed to be. Through malicious gossip 
a man of good character may lose his reputation. 
A man of bad character may have a good reputa- 
tion — until he is found out. 

chiefest. Most authorities contend that chief 
is a superlative adjective and is therefore incap- 
able of further comparison. Chiefest was used 
by Shakespeare, Byron, Emerson, and Arnold. 
The comparative form chief er is rare. 

childish — childlike. Childlike means simple 
or innocent; childish means puerile, trifling, or 
weak. In childlike we imply those qualities of 


GOOD ENGLISH 


47 


the child that are pleasing; in childish we sug- 
gest the qualities that are less admirable. Com- 
pare the corresponding value of mannish and 
womanish. 

claim. The verb claim is used loosely for 
affirm , assert, declare , and various other verbs. 
Claim properly means to ask for by virtue of 
right or authority, as “He claimed one-half of 
his father’s estate.” It is incorrectly used in 
“ She claimed that Jane was older than Susan,” 
or “ He claimed he had a good time at the sea- 
shore.” 

clear. Clear is used colloquially in such ex- 
pressions as “ I swam clear across the stream ” 
or “The bullet went clear through the plank.” 
Compare the analogous use of clean. 

clerk. Critics object to the use of clerk as a 
verb, as in “ He clerked for two years in a coun- 
try store.” This use is very old, however, and 
has the authority of Lamb and Carlyle. It still 
occurs colloquially and sometimes with the in- 
definite object it, as “ He clerked it for some time 
before going to college.” 

clever. Do not use clever in the sense of good- 
natured, or obliging. Its synonyms are skilful, 
talented, intelligent. In colloquial use “He was 
clever to a fault” seems to mean that he was 
too good-natured. 


4 8 


GOOD ENGLISH 


climb down. While climb ordinarily connotes 
the idea of ascent, yet in popular speech one hears 
of “ Climbing down a ladder ” or “ Climbing 
down from a tree.” The expression seems to be 
favored whenever the descent is difficult or slow. 
In some cases we may say “ He crawled down,” 
but it is not always possible to provide a satis- 
factory substitute for climb down. 

coat — coating. Some authorities object to the 
expression “ a coat of paint ” and recommend “ a 
coating of paint.” To others a coating implies a 
thinner covering than a coat. It seems unneces- 
sary to establish any distinction in this case. 

collective nouns. There is occasionally warm 
discussion whether collective nouns like commit- 
tee, jury, family, crew, army, etc., are to be re- 
garded as singular or plural. It is usually easy 
to apply the rule that when the noun represents 
the group as a unit we should use the singular 
verb, but when we think of the individuals com- 
posing the group the plural verb is preferred. 
Thus the following sentences are correct: “The 
committee is ready to report,” but “ The commit- 
tee are quarreling among themselves ” ; “ My fam- 
ily is larger than yours,” but “ My family are 
going to Canada this summer ” ; “ The crew was 
made up of foreigners,” but “The crew were 
ordered to their bunks.” 


GOOD ENGLISH 


49 


collective phrases. Certain collective phrases 
have become well established in general use, as 
a bevy of girls, a flock of sheep, a school of 
herring, a pack of wolves, a gang of thieves, a 
host of angels, a shoal of porpoises, a herd of 
cattle, a troop of children, a covey of partridges, 
a galaxy of beauties, a horde of barbarians, a 
heap of rubbish, a drove of oxen, a swarm of 
bees, a corps of engineers, and a fleet of ships. 

combine. Combine as a noun is a slang sub- 
stitute for combination and should be avoided. 
It is especially common in American political 
discussions. 

come — go. Ordinarily come suggests arrival 
and go suggests departure and in most uses these 
verbs present no difficulties. When writing to a 
person say “ I will come to see you on Sunday,” 
not “I will go to see you.” In referring to a 
third person the proper verb is go } as in “ I will 
go to see Johnson on Sunday.” 

come across. Come across in the sense of 
find or encounter was formerly condemned but 
is now accepted as idiomatic. It usually implies 
that the finding was by chance, as in “ I came 
across an old letter of yours yesterday.” It would 
be less properly used in such a sentence as “ I 
searched for that letter of yours but could not 
come across it.” The expression also occurs in 
s 


50 


GOOD ENGLISH 


recent slang as come across with in the sense of 
deliver or hand over, as “Fll give you five 
minutes to come across with the money/’ 

come and. The use of come and for come to 
has been widely condemned but in many instances 
come and must be regarded as acceptable. Thus 
“ I wish you would come and see my new home ” 
is correct. The sentence “ Why don’t you come 
and join our little colony at Fairview?” is hardly 
improved by saying “ Why don’t you come to 
join?” Note that two distinct acts are suggested 
by come and join. See and. 
come near. See came near, 
come to grief. We sometimes say that a “bi- 
cyclist came to grief at the foot of the hill” when 
it seems that we really should say that “ he went 
to grief” However, come to grief is idiomatic 
and idioms are not always logical. 

comma before and. One of the vexed problems 
in the fine art of punctuation is whether a comma 
should be used before and in a series as “ The 
exports are coffee, rice, tobacco (,) and sugar.” 
The older grammarians felt that and took the 
place of the comma and that the other commas 
were equivalent to and. Thus in theory the sen- 
tence was “The exports are coffee (and) rice 
(and) tobacco and sugar.” More recent writers 
show that the omission of the final comma indi- 


GOOD ENGLISH 


51 


cates a closer connection between the last two 
names in the series. Finer distinctions are pos- 
sible if we follow the rule that the comma should 
be used before and unless the connection between 
the words immediately connected by and is closer 
than in the rest. Thus “At college I read the 
plays of Shakespeare, Jonson, Marlowe, and 
Peele” means that you read the plays of four 
dramatists, but “At college I read the plays of 
Shakespeare, Jonson, Beaumont and Fletcher ” in- 
dicates that the last two writers wrote in collabo- 
ration. Some authorities would insert and after 
“ Jonson ” in the preceding sentence. In the 
names of business firms the comma before and 
is rare. The accepted form is “ Smith, Brown, 
Jones & Co.” 

commence. See begin. 

common. The use of common is colloquial in 
such sentences as “ I am feeling better than com- 
mon this summer” or “We have been having 
more rain than common” Note the ambiguity 
in “Your manners are not much better than 
common” 

company for dinner. Some critics believe that 
at times the South Sea cannibals may properly 
speak of “ having company for dinner,” but that 
in civilization we have “ company at dinner ” and 
“beefsteak and potatoes for dinner.” 


52 


GOOD ENGLISH 


compare — contrast. When we compare things 
we find what qualities they have in common; 
when we contrast them we observe what differ- 
ences exist between them. We prefer compare 
with when the relative merits of several things 
are under examination and compare to when one 
thing is likened to another. Thus “Compare 
this racquet with that and take the one you pre- 
fer,” but “ Longfellow compared the rows of 
cannon to a mighty organ.” 

compensation — remuneration. Either word 
may be used to indicate a return for personal 
services, but remuneration should not be used to 
indicate a return for a loss, or money paid in 
settlement of a debt. 

complected. The colloquialisms light-com- 
plected and dark-complected should never be 
used. The proper form is complexioned. Better 
still, say “of a light (dark) complexion.” 

complement — compliment. A complement is 
that which completes. The word is used in va- 
rious ways. In grammar a complement is such a 
word as president in “They made Washington 
president” or as free in “Lincoln set the slaves 
free” In a broad sense a complement is a full 
allowance or amount, as in “ The ship sailed with 
her complement of provisions.” A compliment is 
an expression of approval or a flattering remark, 


GOOD ENGLISH 


53 


as “The sculptor deserved a compliment for his 
graceful statue.” It also means the formal ex- 
pression of civility and respect, as “ Kindly 
present my compliments to Mr. Blank.” Both 
complement and compliment may be used as 
verbs. 

comprehend. See apprehend. 

comprised of. Avoid the use of comprised of 
instead of composed of or comprising . Thus “ A 
regiment comprised of the best men in the army 
was ordered to the front” is wrong. 

concise. See brief. 

concord of subject and predicate. While it 
is generally understood that a verb agrees with 
its subject in number, there are certain cases in 
which the number of the subject is not at once 
apparent. The following sentences will serve to 
illustrate the correct usage in the more common 
instances : 

The boy and the girl are here. 

The boy as well as the girl is here. 

The boy together with the girls is here. 

The boys as well as the girl are here. 

The grey and silver fish is in the pond. 

The grey and the silver fish are in the pond. 

Each boy and each girl was asked to sing. 

Every boy and every girl is eager to succeed. 

The captain as well as the crew was saved. 


54 


GOOD ENGLISH 


The crew as well as the captain were saved. 

The captain with all his crew was saved. 

The captain and all his crew were saved. 

The result of his actions was soon known. 

Every one of the men is here. 

The motorman, not the children, was to blame. 

Five hundred dollars was paid for the lot. 

Twenty silver dollars were found in the bag. 

For other examples see collective nouns and 
either you or I. 

condign. Among careful writers condign 
means well-deserved or proper. In the popular 
mind the word seems to mean severe, as “ His 
offense deserves condign punishment/’ Any 
punishment that is fitting is condign. “ Condign 
praise” is good English, but it does not mean 
“severe praise.” In modern usage the word is 
largely restricted to the phrase “ condign punish- 
ment.” 

confess. See admit. 

confirmed. Note that confirmed means made 
firm or established. Various writers object to 
the expression “ a confirmed invalid ” for a 
chronic or hopeless invalid. Compare another use 
of confirmed in “ a confirmed skeptic,” “a con- 
firmed drunkard,” and “a confirmed bachelor.” 

consequence. Some authorities condemn the 
use of consequence in the sense of importance, as 


GOOD ENGLISH 


55 


in the expression “ It is of no consequence ” or 
“ He is a person of some consequence.” How- 
ever, this usage is generally recognized as good, 
and has had excellent authority since the days of 
Shakespeare and the Authorized Version of the 
Bible. 

considerable. Do not use considerable for 
considerably , as in “ It has been considerable 
cooler during the last few days.” It is also well 
to avoid the use of considerable for a great deal 
or much in reference to material things, as “We 
had considerable rain this month ” or “ It will 
take considerable paint to cover that wall.” 

contagious — infectious. A contagious disease 
is communicated by contact with the diseased 
person, either by direct association or by some 
indirect means. An infectious disease is one that 
may be communicated by germs carried in the 
air or the water and thus it infects a person who 
may be remotely situated from the source of the 
germs. Contagious diseases are spread by the 
use of public towels, drinking-cups, etc., but in- 
fectious diseases are caused by the air that we 
breathe and by the water that we drink. Medical 
writers often use transmissible to cover both con- 
tagious and infectious, yet even in medical litera- 
ture these words are used somewhat loosely. 

contemptible — contemptuous. Contemptible 


56 


GOOD ENGLISH 


means worthy of contempt, but contemptuous 
means full of contempt. Thus “ His conduct was 
contemptible,” but “ I have a contemptuous opin- 
ion of him.” To say “I have a contemptible 
opinion of Miss Blank” is a reflection on your 
opinion, not on Miss Blank. 

continual — continuous. As a rule continual 
implies close succession or frequent recurrence, 
but continuous suggests an uninterrupted process. 
We may say “It rains continually in the Lake 
District,” yet not mean that the sun never shines 
there, but when we say “It rained continuously 
at Grasmere for five days ” we mean that the rain 
descended without intermission for that period 
of time. Contrast also “the continual shouts 
of the children” with “the continuous whir of 
the machinery.” 

contrast. See compare, 
convenient to. This expression should not be 
used for near as in “The hotel is situated con- 
venient to the post-office,” or “We shall build the 
hothouse convenient to the west entrance to the 
grounds.” 

convince. See persuade, 
corporal — corporeal. Corporal means per- 
taining to the body, but corporeal means of a 
physical or material nature as opposed to that 
which is spiritual or immaterial. W e now speak 


GOOD ENGLISH 


57 


of “corporal punishment ” although “corporeal 
punishment ” is found in earlier writers. 

correspond to (with). Whenever one thing 
conforms to another or resembles it we should 
say corresponds to; whenever we exchange letters 
with another person we correspond with that 
person. 

couldn’t hardly (scarcely). Avoid the use of 
couldn't hardly and couldn't scarcely for could 
hardly and could scarcely, as “ The stone was so 
heavy I couldn't hardly lift it.” The error is 
obvious. 

council — counsel. A council is a represent- 
ative or deliberative body ; counsel means advice, 
and also designates a lawyer who represents a 
client. Thus “The council will meet at noon,” 
but “He refused to follow our counsel ” and 
“ The prisoner had a long talk with his counsel .” 

couple. The word couple is widely used in the 
sense of two of a kind, as a couple of books, 
apples, or years. Couple strictly implies some 
bond of union between the two things, as “ A man 
and his wife are a couple ” The broader use oc- 
curs in the Bible (“Make me a couple of 
cakes”), in Shakespeare, and elsewhere. It is 
generally recognized as correct. 

cover over. Note that over is usually redun- 


58 


GOOD ENGLISH 


dant after cover. Thus “ Cover over the pan and 
place it on the stove.” 

create. In theatrical parlance create is used 
to indicate the first performance of a role, as 
“Bernhardt created the part of Gismonda.” We 
may insist that Sardou, the author -of the play, 
really created the part, but the theatrical colloqui- 
alism is generally tolerated. Apparently it dates 
back no further than about 1882. 

credible — creditable. Credible means capable 
of being believed, as “ He told a credible story ” ; 
creditable means deserving of esteem, as “ His 
conduct in the dispute was most creditable ” 
credit. See accredit. 

cultured. The adjective cultured has been 
condemned by some authorities because of its 
formation from the unusual verb culture. They 
suggest “ a cultivated audience ” instead of “ a 
cultured audience/’ It is unlikely that they will 
persuade many to avoid cultured, which seems to 
be well established in both England and America. 

cunning. Cunning means artful, frequently 
in an uncomplimentary sense, as “ a cunning 
thief.” In popular American usage it is broadly 
applied to anything that is dainty, charming, or 
otherwise attractive, as “ a cunning puppy,” “ a 
cunning bonnet,” and even “ a cunning luncheon.” 
Such use of the word should always be avoided. 


GOOD ENGLISH 


59 


cupful. See -ful. 

custom — habit. Custom suggests the fact of 
repetition, but habit implies the tendency toward 
such repetition. If it is a man’s custom to an- 
swer letters promptly, to file all important papers, 
etc., he may acquire good habits in conducting his 
affairs. There is often the implication that cus- 
tom is voluntary and deliberate, while habit, 
whether good or bad, is more or less involuntary. 
Early rising may be as much the habit of one 
man as opium-smoking is the habit of another. 

cute. Cute is an American abbreviation for 
acute, but differs in meaning. In colloquial speech 
“ a cute salesman ” is a shrewd salesman, but “ a 
cute child ” is a dainty, pretty, or attractive child. 
The word is most frequently applied to children, 
small animals, and small objects. We hear of “a 
cute kitten,” “ a cute pony,” or even “ a cute baby 
elephant,” but not of “ a cute horse ” or “ a cute 
rhinoceros.” 


D 

damage. Avoid the vulgar use of damage for 
charge or cost, as in “Now that the car is re- 
paired, what is the damage ?” 

dangerous. Dangerous is misused when we 
say of an invalid “ My father-in-law has been ill 


6o 


GOOD ENGLISH 


for more than a month, but he is not dangerous 
We mean to say that he is not dangerously ill, 
but we imply that the nurses may have occasion 
to fear him. 

dangling participle. See absolute construc- 
tion. 

date. The use of date in the sense of appoint- 
ment or engagement is vulgar, as “ I have a date 
for to-morrow afternoon” or “We made a date 
with Miss Blank for that evening.” 

deadly— deathly. Although the distinction is 
not always observed, deadly means mortal or 
capable of causing death, while deathly means 
death-like. Thus we speak of a deadly blow, 
sin, poison, or wound, and of a deathly pallor, 
complexion, or silence. 

deal. Deal in the sense of transaction or bar- 
gain has been condemned. In political cant we 
hear of “crooked deals ” which may be either 
political bargains or irregular contracts. Honest 
and straightforward treatment is often charac- 
terized in America as “a square deal.” Avoid 
using deal for a great deal , as “ He is a deal too 
clever for his competitors.” Thackeray referred 
to a sermon as “ a deal too short.” 

dear — my dear. My dear is considered more 
formal than Dear in salutations, as “My dear 
Sir,” “My dear Madam,” “My dear Mr. (Mrs. 


GOOD ENGLISH 


61 


or Miss) Blank.” Curiously enough, when given 
names are used, the opposite seems to hold true. 
“ Dear John” or “Dear Mary” is considered 
more formal than “My dear John (or Mary).” 
Also “Dear Cousin (Uncle, Aunt, Brother,)” is 
more formal than “ My dear Cousin,” etc. 

deceive. Avoid the use of deceive in the 
sense of trying to deceive. “You are deceiving 
me ” means that the speaker admits his inability 
to detect the deception, not merely that the per- 
son addressed is attempting such deception. 

decided — decisive. Decided means free from 
uncertainty, resolute, determined ; decisive means 
final, conclusive. “ K decided victory” is an un- 
questioned or unmistakable victory; “a decisive 
victory” is one that determines the issue of the 
campaign. 

decimate. In loose usage decimate means to 
destroy in large part, as “The army was deci- 
mated in the battle.” It really means the loss of 
one man in ten, which is not a startling percent- 
age. Even careful writers speak of “villages 
decimated by fever ” or “ troops decimated under 
a grilling fusillade.” 

deface — disfigure. Deface is preferred when 
we wish to indicate that some object has been 
marred or spoiled, as “a defaced monument” or 
“ a defaced wall.” Disfigured is better when we 


62 


GOOD ENGLISH 


refer to a personal imperfection of face or form. 
A person is disfigured , not defaced , by a scar or 
cut. 

definite — definitive. Definite means well-de- 
fined or certain ; definitive means final or conclu- 
sive. “We received definite information con- 
cerning the definitive edition of Ruskin that will 
shortly appear ” is correct. 

delicious — delightful. These wor.ds are synon- 
ymous to a certain extent, but in modern usage 
delicious refers especially to the pleasures of such 
senses as taste or smell, delightful refers to the 
higher senses. We speak of a delicious pudding, 
odor, drink, fruit, but of a delightful concert, 
conversation, trip, or performance, 
delusion. See allusion, 
demean. Demean should not be used in the 
sense of debase or humble. It really means to 
behave or to conduct, as “ The boy demeans him- 
self admirably” or “You should demean your- 
self better.” Sheridan has the loose use of the 
word in “ I won’t demean myself by naming what 
you are.” It also occurs in Thackeray and in 
other important writers. See behave. 

depositary — depository. Though these allied 
words are used extensively as synonyms it seems 
preferable to use depositary for a person to whom 


GOOD ENGLISH 


63 


something is entrusted and depository for a place 
where anything is deposited for safe-keeping. 

depot. Formerly depot was in general use in 
America but not in England as an equivalent for 
railroad-station. A freight-station may properly 
be called a depot — that is, a place where things 
are deposited , but a passenger-station is not a 
depot. 

deprecate — depreciate. Deprecate means to 
regret or express disapproval; depreciate means 
to undervalue or to grow less in value. Thus 
“ The orator deprecated war,” but “ Railroad 
bonds have depreciated very much in recent 
months.” 

despite. Despite is improperly used in the 
phrase in despite of. Use despite alone or say 
in spite of. Thus “ She insisted on leaving the 
boat in despite of the captain's warning” is in- 
correct. 

did have — did not have. Such forms are con- 
demned in England as American solecisms for 
had and had not. Thus the answer to “ Have 
some tea ? ” would be “ I did have some, thank 
you,” or the answer to “Why did you not visit 
the museum ? ” would be “ I did not have any 
time.” Such usage is prevalent in America, but 
do have and do not have are generally avoided 
in cases like “Do you have a copy of Shake- 


6 4 


GOOD ENGLISH 


speare ? ” or “ I do not have the book you want/' 
in both of which have is the principal verb. 
These expressions are correct when have is fol- 
lowed by an infinitive, as “ Do you have to go ? ” 
or “ I do not have to work for a living/’ Some- 
times did is used to make an assertion more em- 
phatic. Compare “ I had the watch repaired ” with 
“I did have the watch repaired.” 

didn’t use to. This expression has been con- 
demned by British critics in such popular ex- 
pressions as “ He didn’t use to care ” or “ They 
didn’t use to leave town so early in summer.” It 
has been suggested that used not to should be 
substituted, but that form is not popular in Amer- 
ica. It is especially awkward in the interrogative 
form “ Used not he to play cricket ?” which oc- 
curs in British writers. See use. 

die with. Do not use die with to indicate the 
cause of death. A man may die of typhoid 
fever, he may die by violence or from exposure. 
Do not say that he died with consumption nor 
that he died from heart-failure. “ Died by hun- 
ger ” is also wrong. 

differ. One thing differs from another when 
it is unlike that other; a person differs zvith 
another when he disagrees with the other. Pur- 
ists formerly condemned differ with unqualifi- 
edly, but “ I beg to differ with you ” is correct. 


GOOD ENGLISH 




different. Different should be followed by 
from rather than by to or than. Different to is 
widely used in England, and different than oc- 
curs in Addison, Coleridge, DeQuincey, Thack- 
eray, and Newman, but even British authorities 
now prefer different from. Different than is 
generally censured in American usage, 
direct. See address. 

direct — directly. Most dictionaries sanction 
the use of direct and directly as synonyms in the 
meaning. of “in a straight course,” as in “I am 
going direct ( directly ) to Paris,” but directly has 
the distinct meaning of “ at once,” as “ I am go- 
ing to Paris directly .” Note that the position of 
directly in the sentence seems to suggest the dif- 
ference in meaning. Compare “ I shall go directly 
to bed ” with “ I shall go to bed directly.” 

directly. British writers are especially given 
to the misuse of directly for when or as soon as. 
Thus “Directly I found that I was not welcome 
I returned home.” This usage is less common 
in America. 

discover — invent. To discover is to find or 
reveal what previously existed; to invent is to 
devise something new. We discover a gold mine, 
the moons of Jupiter, or the Northwest Passage; 
we invent the phonograph, the electric battery, 
or the arc-lamp. Newton discovered the law of 
6 


66 


GOOD ENGLISH 


gravitation, but Bell invented the telephone. Dr. 
Cook either discovered the North Pole or in- 
vented a good story. 

discriminate — distinguish. These words sug- 
gest the recognition of difference, but distinguish 
is the more general term. Discriminate implies 
greater care or precision in noting differences. 
Usually we distinguish from and discriminate be- 
tween. Thus “ Can you distinguish crimson 
from scarlet ? ” or “ Can you discriminate between 
crimson and scarlet ?” 
disfigure. See deface. 

disinterested — uninterested. Disinterested im- 
plies not influenced by personal or selfish con- 
siderations; uninterested means not interested. 
A judge may give a disinterested decision in a 
case in which he is much interested. A spec- 
tator at a stupid play is uninterested , but the 
author of that play may be unable to form a 
disinterested opinion of its lack of merit. 

disremember. This vulgar coinage should not 
be used for forget , as “ I disremember when he 
was last here.” The dictionaries quote illustra- 
tions of its use from Father Prout, Mrs. Gaskell, 
and Ouida — but those who are tempted to use 
disremember need not feel much encouraged by 
that array of authorities, 
distant — remote. Distant suggests the inter- 


GOOD ENGLISH 


6 7 


vention of space or time ; remote implies a con- 
siderable intervention of space or time, and fre- 
quently indicates unfavorable situation or lack of 
relation. For a New Yorker the city of Gal- 
veston would be distant, but perhaps not remote. 
A small village situated several miles from a 
railroad would be remote , but not necessarily 
distant. 

distinct — distinctive. Distinct means sepa- 
rate or distinguishable, as “ He heard three dis- 
tinct knocks on the door.” Distinctive means 
characteristic or peculiar, as “ The distinctive 
color of a Baldwin apple.” If a man’s pronunci- 
ation is distinct it is readily understood; if it is 
distinctive it in some way characterizes the man. 

divers — diverse. Divers means sundry or 
various, as “divers persons” or “divers of An- 
tonio’s creditors.” Diverse means different or 
distinct, as “We shall follow diverse roads.” In 
our older literature these words were synonyms, 
but it is worth while to emphasize a difference 
between “ divers reasons ” and “ diverse reasons.” 

divorced. Care must be taken in speaking of 
a “ divorced man ” or “ a divorced woman.” The 
implication is that the divorce has been granted 
to the marital partner of a divorced person. A 
woman who has divorced an unworthy husband 
makes him a “ divorced man,” but she should not 


68 


GOOD ENGLISH 


suffer the slur that is implied in “divorced 
woman.” 

do have. See did have. 

dock. In America dock is frequently used as 
a synonym for wharf. It really means the body 
of water beside the wharf. A ship may properly 
be “ in dock,” but it is not strictly correct to speak 
of a man as “ falling off the dock” He falls off 
the wharf into the dock. It seems impossible, 
however, to preserve this distinction. 

donate. This verb was formerly regarded as 
an improper substitute for give. We now recog- 
nize it as acceptable and not necessarily synon- 
ymous with give. A man gives his child a dime 
to spend, he presents a flag to the local militia, but 
he donates a thousand dollars to some worthy 
cause. There is an implication of formality 
about donate that is more pleasing than the 
humble give to the ears of donors. Let us keep 
our philanthropists in a good humor. 

don’t. Note that don't is the correct abbrevia- 
tion of do not , but that it should not be regarded 
as an abbreviation of does not. It is correct to 
say “ I don't have to go ” or “ You and they don't 
have to go,” but it is wrong to say “He don't 
have to go ” or “ She don't have to go.” The 
correct forms are “he doesn't” and “she 
doesn't.” Some recent writers believe that 


GOOD ENGLISH 


69 


doesn’t is doomed and that don’t will prevail in 
the third person singular as it does elsewhere. 
Such familiar expressions as “ It don’t seem right” 
or “ It don’t make any difference ” are widely 
accepted as idiomatic. Exact authorities point 
out that don't is correct in the subjunctive form 
of the third person singular. They agree that it 
is wrong to say “ As coffee don’t agree with you, 
why not drink tea?” but they insist that it is 
right to say “ If coffee don’t agree with you, why 
not drink tea ?” In the first sentence we require 
the indicative “ doesn’t agree,” but in the second 
we may use the subjunctive (C don’t agree.” It is 
just this sort of technical hair-splitting that be- 
wilders the ordinary person and stimulates the 
widespread contempt for the over-zealous gram- 
marian and his dogmatic rulings. 

don’t believe — don’t think. ^ Such usage as “ I 
don’t believe he will succeed ” for “ I believe he 
will not succeed ” or “ I don’t think it will rain ” 
for “ I think it will not rain ” may be admitted to 
be literally incorrect, but at the same time these 
constructions are in general use wherever Eng- 
lish is spoken and must be regarded as idiomatic. 
To change “1 don’t think he will come” to “ I 
think he will not come” is unnecessary and ac- 
complishes no useful result. 

don’t guess. Avoid the use of the vulgar ex- 


7o 


GOOD ENGLISH 


pression don’t guess, as in “ I intended to go to 
town to-day but I don’t guess I’ll go.” 

don’t hardly. Note that don’t should be omit- 
ted in “ I don’t hardly believe they will succeed.” 

dote. Dote means to be weak-minded, also to 
love to excess. In modern colloquial usage it 
occasionally acquires the meaning of fondness for 
certain things, as “ I dote on ice cream and 
olives.” Such misuse of the word should be 
confined to school-girls who adore cream-puffs 
and pickles. 

double negatives. Avoid the careless use of 
double negatives, as in “We haven’t no money ” 
or “We can’t find it nowhere .” The result is 
merely to say the opposite of what is intended. 
“ I didn’t do nothing ” implies “ I did do some- 
thing.” Double negatives are sometimes inten- 
tionally and properly used to make a more 
guarded statement of fact. Contrast “ It is not 
improbable that he took the money ” with “ It is 
probable that he took the money.” Note also 
“ His death was not unexpected ” and “ They 
were not unhappy in their new surroundings.” 

double possessive. The use of the double 
possessive is recognized as idiomatic and there- 
fore correct, as in “ He was a friend of my 
brother’s” or “They are relatives of Mr, Pal- 
mer’s” Note the difference between “ That is a 


GOOD ENGLISH 


71 


picture of Mr. Blank ” and “ That is a picture of 
Mr. Blank’s .” Observe also the difference in 
meaning occasioned by the use of the double pos- 
sessive in “ Let me tell you an anecdote of Rus- 
kin (of Ruskin’s) .” 

doubt but. In sentences like “ I do not doubt 
but he will oblige you,” it is better to substitute 
that for but. In “ I have no doubt but that he 
will come,” omit but. 

doubt in my mind. Note that in my mind is 
superfluous in such a sentence as “ I have no 
doubt in my mind that they are rich.” Such 
usage may be classed with “ I have a headache in 
my head ” or “ He is deaf in his ears.” The mind 
is the proper place for doubts. Compare the 
popular phrase in “ He had no love in his heart 
for anybody.” 

doubt that — doubt whether. Both expres- 
sions are correct. Doubt that is more commonly 
used, as “ I doubt that I shall have time to go.” 
Doubt whether suggests an alternative, as “l 
doubt whether he will join us,” but the distinc- 
tion is not important. See but that. 

doubtlessly. The form doubtless is usually 
preferred in modern usage, but doubtlessly is 
also correct. 

dove. The form dove should not be used for 
dived, as in “ The swimmer dove into the water.” 


72 


GOOD ENGLISH 


Dove is considered dialectal in England but seems 
to be popular in America. It may be found in 
the writings of Mr. Roosevelt. 

down. Down is unnecessary after certain 
verbs, as “ I shall lay down the carpet,” or 
“ Please lower down the window.” Some au- 
thorities accept it as idiomatic in “The book 
dropped down to the floor.” “Fall down” is 
recognized as correct, as in “Jack fell down” 
etc. Most dogs, when told to “ Lie dozvn” accept 
the command as good English. 

drank. Note that drank should not be used 
for drunk after the various forms of have. Say 
“ I have drunk two cups of tea ” or “ They have 
not drunk any wine.” The mere fact that the 
adjective drunk means intoxicated does not jus- 
tify the incorrect use of the verb. 

drink soup. Some persons are much con- 
cerned as to whether we drink soup or eat soup. 
Let them be assured that we do not drink soup. 
We may drink consomme or bouillon from cups, 
but soup, whether the clearest turtle or the thick- 
est puree, is eaten. Of course, if we hold the 
plate directly to the lips and swallow the soup we 
may say that we are drinking the soup. We may 
drink molasses in the same manner if we are thus 
inclined. Mr. Horace Fletcher is said to have 
advised his followers to chew their soup. 


GOOD ENGLISH 


73 


drive — ride. Our older authorities decided 
that a person rides on a horse and drives behind 
a horse. This decision no longer holds good. 
Infants ride in go-carts, children ride in express- 
wagons or on bicycles, persons of all ages may 
ride in carriages, trains, and automobiles. The 
man who is in control of the horses harnessed to a 
carriage drives; the others seated in the carriage 
ride . The chauffeur drives the automobile, the 
other occupants ride. 

drownded. The vulgar form drownded should 
never be used for drowned. The word when 
properly pronounced is in one syllable and rhymes 
with sound. 

druggist. The use of druggist for apothecary 
is an Americanism that requires neither defense 
nor apology. In that sense it is far better than 
the ambiguous British use of chemist. Addison 
used druggist in th eTatler and DeQuincey has it 
in his Confessions. The word also prevails in 
Scotland. 

drunk. See drank. 

dry. Dry in the sense of thirsty has good tra- 
dition behind it, as Shakespeare’s “ Give the dry 
fool drink,” but is generally avoided by careful 
writers. Note the effect of “We felt very dry 
after our long walk in the rain.” 

dumb. Dumb properly means mute or silent. 


74 


GOOD ENGLISH 


It should not be used in the sense of stupid , as 
“ She was too dumb to get along in school.” 

dursen’t. Avoid this colloquial variation for 
durst not, as in “ He dursen’t touch me.” It oc- 
curs widely as dasn’t or dastn’t . 

E 

each. Do not use each with a plural pronoun 
or with a plural verb, as “ Each pupil have their 
own desk and books.” Say “Each pupil has his 
own desk and books.” Stevenson was guilty of 
“ And so each of his portraits are not only a piece 
of history,” etc. See every. 

each — every. These words are not synony- 
mous. Each means all of a group considered 
singly; every means all of a group considered as 
a group. ' Thus “Each boy had a book” but 
“Every boy should have a good education.” 
Compare “Each child must act politely toward 
every other child in this class.” Milton used 
the words without distinction, as in “ I know each 
lane and every alley green.” The emphatic 
phrase each and every, as in “I developed ten 
films this morning and each and every one of 
them was fogged” is sometimes criticized. 

each other. Each other applies strictly to two 
only. If there are more than two, say one 


GOOD ENGLISH 


75 


another. Thus “ The twins resemble each other / 9 
but “ The five children love one another ” Many 
writers disregard this neat distinction and give 
the critics something to censure. 

eat — ate — eaten. These forms are most pop- 
ular in the American use of the verb, as “ He ate 
his dinner after we had eaten ours/’ In England 
and to some extent in America eat (pronounced 
et) is used as a past form and less commonly as 
a participle. Thus “ He eat (et) his dinner after 
we had eat (et) ours.” 

editorial. A bitter fight was waged years ago 
against the American use of editorial as a sub- 
stitute for the British leader or leading article. 
The word is now thoroughly established in Amer- 
ican usage and each country is likely to stand by 
its chosen term. We shall continue to read lead- 
ers in the London papers and editorials in the 
New Y-ork papers, 
effect. See affect. 

ei — ie. Many persons who are perplexed in 
spelling various words that contain the groups ei 
or ie resort to various “ rules ” for spelling such 
words. A popular rule of that sort is: 

Put “ i ” before “e” 

Except after “ c ” 

Or when sounded e, a, 

As in heir, their and weigh. 


76 


GOOD ENGLISH 


All such rules are inadequate and are certain 
to encourage bad spelling. What happens to the 
rule just quoted when we apply it in spelling 
height , either , neither , weird , sheik , seise, leisure, 
specie, and glacier ? The only safe rule is to learn 
the correct spelling of each word. 

either. As either means one or the other of 
two it should have a singular verb. Thus “ I have 
spoken to Philip and James; either is ready to 
get the book for you.” In reply to “ Have you 
seen Philip, James, or John?” we must not say 
“ I have not seen either of them.” Use any. As 
a conjunction, either may be used in referring to 
more than two. It is correct to say “Either 
Mary, Jane, or Susan will go,” or “The criminal 
is likely to be found in either New York, Phila- 
delphia, or Baltimore.” 

either, .or. Care must be taken in determin- 
ing the proper position of either and neither when 
they are used with the correlatives or and nor. 
Thus “ He would neither give time nor money to 
the cause ” and “ They would either go by train 
or by trolley ” may be improved by writing “ He 
would give neither time nor money ” and “ They 
would go either by train or by trolley.” 

either side. It is certainly undesirable to say 
“ There were houses on either side of the street” 
or “ People stood on either side of the avenue ” 


GOOD ENGLISH 


77 


when we mean both sides. Some recent authori- 
ties accept either side as idiomatic. See both. 

either you or I am. Much bad advice has been 
printed on the correct usage in such cases as 
“Either you or I am {are, is) chosen.” A few 
writers have recommended “Either you or I is 
chosen,” but most authorities prefer to make the 
verb agree with the nearest subject. Thus we 
favor “ Either you or I am chosen,” “ Either you 
or he is chosen,” but we shall do still better if we 
avoid this construction altogether and say “ Either 
you are chosen, or I am,” or “ Either one of us is 
chosen.” 

elder, eldest — older, oldest. Older and oldest 

are usually applied to persons of different fami- 
lies and to things ; elder and eldest are preferred 
for members of the same family and are not often 
applied to inanimate objects. Compare “Frank- 
lin was the oldest man present,” with “ Charlotte 
was the eldest of the three Bronte sisters.” 
Again, “ Thackeray was older than Dickens,” but 
“Tennyson had three elder brothers.” While 
we prefer to say “ The oldest book in my library 
is dated 165 7,” we may speak of “elder days” 
or “an elder title.” Compare the use of “the 
elder ( eldest ) hand” in card-playing. 

electrocute. Although electrocute and electro- 
cution are still occasionally denounced as abnor- 


78 


GOOD ENGLISH 


mal formations they are now well established and 
no satisfactory substitutes are at hand. 

elegant. Avoid the colloquial use of elegant, 
as in “ We had an elegant time ” or “ They had an 
elegant chance to see the President.” Some per- 
sons even speak of having “elegant steaks” or 
“elegant eggs” for breakfast and of being 
“treated elegant ” by their friends. The critics 
of a generation ago were addicted to recording 
what they regarded as elegant or inelegant in the 
use of -our language. 

elicit — illicit. Elicit is a verb and means to 
draw forth or bring to light, as “We elicit informa- 
tion” or “We could not elicit a reply.” Illicit 
is an adjective and means unlawful or prohibited, 
as “ He engaged in the illicit distillation of 
spirits.” Elicit should not be confused with elim- 
inate,' which means to cast out or to get rid of. 
Thus “ The chemist tried to elicit information as 
to their method of eliminating moisture from the 
crucible.” 

else. In expressions like somebody else, any 
one else, nobody else, etc., it is preferable to form 
the possessive case by adding the proper sign to 
else, not to the preceding word. Thus “ This is 
somebody else’s hat,” not “ somebody’s else hat.” 
Some authorities still stand by their contention 
that else cannot properly be in the possessive, but 


GOOD ENGLISH 


79 


more liberal spirits regard the entire phrase as a 
unit, as in “ This is the Governor of Ohio's hat.” 
Is it necessary to tell us that Ohio cannot wear a 
hat, or that a hat does not require a Governor ? 

else. .but. The use of else, .hut is less desir- 
able than that of else. .than. We prefer “It is 
no one else than I ” to “ It is no one else hut me.” 
The latter form is, however, quite correct. 

emigrant — immigrant. An emigrant leaves a 
country; an immigrant enters a country. An 
Italian emigrant abandons his home in Italy and 
becomes an immigrant when he settles in the 
United States. 

eminent — imminent — prominent. These words 
should not be used as synonyms. Eminent means 
distinguished or above other things, as “ an emi- 
nent man” or “an eminent peak.” Imminent 
means threatening or liable to happen, as “an 
imminent danger ” or “ an imminent down-pour.” 
Prominent means conspicuous, as “a prominent 
nose ” or “ a prominent citizen.” Eminent sug- 
gests greater distinction than prominent. All of 
our Presidents were prominent men; opinions 
vary as to how many were eminent men. 

empties. Purists object to the use of empties 
for flows, as in “The Hudson empties into the 
Atlantic Ocean.” This objection is based on the 
obvious fact that there is always some of the 


So 


GOOD ENGLISH 


Hudson left in its channel. Perhaps as soon as 
all the water in the Hudson has reached the 
ocean, leaving a dry channel behind, the critics 
will authorize us to say “The Hudson has emp- 
tied into the Atlantic.” 

en in-. The prefixes en- and in- are both 

correctly used in such words as encase , incase; 
enquire, inquire; enclose, inclose, etc. In some 
words en- is preferred, as enfold, enact, enjoin, 
entangle, entreat; in others in- seems to be fa- 
vored, as increase, include, indite, inflame. No 
fixed rule can be given. 

enclosed herewith. See herewith. 

endorse. Endorse literally means to write on 
the back of, as, for example, one endorses a prom- 
issory note — that is, assumes personal responsibil- 
ity for the fulfilment of the promise. It is there- 
fore much stronger than favor or approve. If 
we endorse another person’s assertion there is 
an implication that we guarantee the accuracy of 
what he says. 

enjoy. Some authorities disapprove of the 
use of enjoy as a reflexive verb. They prefer 
“ I enjoyed the play ” to “ I enjoyed myself at 
the play.” There seems to be no reasonable 
ground for objection to such usage. Thus “The 
children enjoy themselves on the beach.” What 
is gained by saying that they enjoy the beach? 


GOOD ENGLISH 


8l 


enormity — enormousness. Enormity suggests 
extreme immoderation or wickedness; enormous- 
ness suggests mere vastness of size, without any 
unfavorable meaning. Thus we speak of the 
enormousness of the operations at Panama, but 
of the enormity of Nero’s crimes. 

enthuse. Enthuse is a slang verb meaning to 
be enthusiastic, as “ He enthused warmly over 
my proposal.” It should be avoided at all times, 
though it may yet come into good use because of 
its brevity and convenience. 

equally as. Do not use equally as for equally 
nor for as. Thus the third as is superfluous in 
“Ruskin was as old as George Eliot and equally 
as significant in literature.” Such a sentence as 
“Jane plays the piano and the violin equally as 
well ” is improved by omitting equally if we wish 
to indicate merely that she plays both instru- 
ments, and by omitting as if we wish to indicate 
equal skill in her playing of both instruments. 

escape with. .life. Some critics condemn such 
sentences as “ He barely escaped with his life” 
or “The inhabitants of the burning village es- 
caped with their lives,” on the ground that it is 
impossible to escape without one’s life. This 
usage is widely recognized as idiomatic. 

Esq. Note that Esq. should not be used after 


7 


82 


GOOD ENGLISH 


a name if Mr. precedes the name. Thus “Mr. 
Henry A. Blank, Esq is always wrong. 

— ess. Certain feminine forms in — ess, such 
as authoress , doctress, editress, giantess, huntress, 
instructress, murderess, poetess, songstress, and 
traitress, are usually avoided. We still approve 
the use of actress, countess, duchess, goddess, 
heiress f hostess, negress, patroness, and princess. 
essay. See assay. 

essential. This word should not be confused 
with necessary. Those qualities or attributes 
that determine the real character of anything are 
essential. Thus in making root-beer, sugar and 
water are necessary, but certain roots are essen - 
tial. The word is now widely used in a broader 
meaning, as in “Tell us the qualities essential to 
success in life” or “We know the conditions that 
are essential to national prosperity.” 
etc. See and etc. 

ever. The position for ever should be chosen 
with care. Thus “ Do you ever expect to visit 
Europe again?” should be “Do you expect ever 
to visit Europe again?” Ever expect is current, 
however, in what is regarded as good colloquial 
usage, and seems to be more euphonious. 

ever so — never so. Ever so is correctly used 
in the sense of very or exceedingly, as “They 
were ever so kind to me during my illness.” In 


GOOD ENGLISH 


83 


the sense of to whatever extent or no matter how 
both ever so and never so are used, as “ Be it 
ever so humble, home is best,” or “which will 
not hearken to the voice of charmers, charming 
never so wisely.” ( Psalms , lviii. 5). In modern 
usage ever so is generally preferred in all uses to 
never so. 

every. Do not use every with a plural pro- 
noun, as in “ Every person has their own faults,” 
or " Every one is entitled to their rights.” In 
such cases use his. See each. 

every bit. The expression every bit is used 
colloquially in such instances as “ My bicycle is 
every bit as good as yours,” or “ I have every bit 
as much right to be here as he has.” Compare 
the more acceptable expression every whit. 

every now and then. Such expressions as 
every now and then, every once in a while, and 
every little while are condemned as American 
colloquialisms. 

every one. Note that every one is singular 
and therefore requires a singular verb. Thus 
“ Every one of the guests have arrived ” is wrong. 
Say " Every one of the guests has arrived.” The 
plural noun guests does not determine the num- 
ber of the verb. " Every one of the apples is 
bad” and a Every one of the men is sick” are 
both correct. 


8 4 


GOOD ENGLISH 


every other. Every other is used colloquially 
in the sense of alternate, as “ Deliveries are made 
every other day ” or “ He calls every other Mon- 
day.” Care must be taken to avoid ambiguity. 
Thus “Deliveries are made on Monday and on 
every other day” probably means that deliveries 
are made on Monday, Wednesday and Friday, yet 
it may be understood to mean daily deliveries. 

every which way. It seems desirable to avoid 
the use of this colloquial phrase meaning from 
all directions, as “The wind was blowing every 
which way!’ 

ex-. Some authorities condemn the use of ex- 
in ^-President, ^-Governor, and recommend 
the use of former. In academic usage “ formerly 
Professor of Rhetoric at Blank College ” is pre- 
ferred to ^-Professor. The use of “ sometime 
Professor” is obsolescent. 

exceed — excel. Exceed means to go beyond, 
as “ He exceeds the speed-limit.” It should not 
be used for excel, which implies superiority in 
quality or attainment. Thus “James exceeded 
his classmates in mathematics ” is wrong. 

exceedingly — excessively. Observe that both 
words imply very or great, but excessively im- 
plies the idea of too greatly. “An exceedingly 
expensive rug” is necessarily a very costly rug, but 
it may be worth all that it costs ; “ an excessively 


GOOD ENGLISH 


85 


high tariff ” is a tariff that is unreasonably high. 

except. Except should not be used as a con- 
junction equivalent to unless. Thus “You can- 
not rank high except you study hard” is incor- 
rect. In the Bible we find “ I will not let thee go, 
except thou bless me” and similar constructions, 
but such usage is not approved in modern Eng- 
lish. See accept. 

excepting. Avoid the use of excepting for 
except, as in “All were there, excepting my 
brother.” The word is properly used in such 
expressions as not excepting, without excepting, 
etc. Thus “ The entire committee was there, not 
excepting the chairman.” 

exceptionable — exceptional. That is excep- 
tionable to which exception may be taken; that 
is exceptional which is out of the ordinary. A 
person’s conduct is exceptionable when it offers 
ground for criticism; it may be exceptional if it 
is unusual in any way. 

execute. Some authorities condemn execute 
when it signifies to put to death in conformity 
with a legal sentence. Their contention is that 
the sentence and not the criminal is executed. In 
spite of this objection, execute is widely used in 
that sense. It has, moreover, a record that goes 
back to Shakespeare. 

expect. Expect should not be used for believe 


86 


GOOD ENGLISH 


or suppose , as in “ I expect that he received the 
prize ” or “ I expect you had a pleasant summer.” 
Expect properly implies a looking toward the 
future, as “ Mary expects to receive a prize ” or 
“ We expect to have a pleasant summer.” Avoid 
the use of a perfect infinitive after the past form 
expected , as “ I expected to have told you ” for 
“ I expected to tell you.” 

extend. Purists have objected to the frequent 
use of extend in the sense of send or give, but 
apparently the objection is not heeded. We still 
extend invitations to our friends, we extend sym- 
pathy to those in affliction, we extend best wishes 
to those whom we would congratulate, and we 
even extend the freedom of our city to honored 
visitors. 


F 

facts. Note that facts should not be described 
as real facts, exact facts, true facts, or correct 
facts. All facts are real, exact, true, and correct. 

faddist. Faddist is one of the hapless words 
that arouse the ire of the critics. Recent dic- 
tionaries recognize it as the proper designation 
for one who indulges in fads or whims. 

faithfully. The adverb faithfully is redundant 
when used with promise, as “ He promised faith- 
fully to stop drinking.” The promise implies 


GOOD ENGLISH 


87 


good faith. Some authorities defend this use of 
faithfully because it makes the promise more 
emphatic. 

fall. Fall in the sense of autumn is a recog- 
nized Americanism, though some of our sensible 
British cousins envy us for having adopted that 
concise Teutonic word which conforms with the 
Saxon names for the other seasons. Note that 
this “ Americanism ” occurs in English usage as 
early as Roger Ascham and Sir Walter Raleigh, 
and also in such recent writers as Scott, Carlyle, 
and Merivale. British examples are confined to 
such combinations as “ spring and fall ” or “ the 
fall of the year.” England would frown on “ I 
am going to Yale in the fall” or “We intend to 
visit Colorado this fall.” 

fall — fell. There is occasional confusion be- 
tween the verbs fall (fell, fallen) and fell (felled, 
felled). Fall is correctly used in “He will fall 
where his predecessors fell and where many others 
have fallen.” Fell is correct in “James will fell 
the tree that stands near the oak which his brother 
felled last year and which should have been 
felled long ago.” 

fancy. Fancy is used to some extent in Eng- 
land instead of like or care for, as in “Do you 
fancy olives?” or “I fancy shrimps.” Such 
usage should not be encouraged. 


88 


GOOD ENGLISH 


fare thee well. This expression has been con- 
demned as an incorrect variation of fare thou 
well. Lovers of verse know that it was good 
enough for Burns, Byron, Kipling, and numerous 
other poets Moreover, it has a pedigree that is 
beyond question. 

farther — further. Farther and further are 
properly used without distinction of any sort, but 
farther is often preferred for actual distances, 
further for abstract meanings. Thus “ I can walk 
no farther ” or “ Naples is farther north than 
Philadelphia,' ” but “ I shall have nothing further 
to do with him ” or “ Have you anything further 
to say?” We are not justified, however, in in- 
sisting upon this distinction. 

fascinating. The adjective fascinating is one 
of our overworked words. If we bear in mind 
that fascinate means to enchant or charm, we shall 
not feel called upon to describe every popular 
song, game, entertainment, or puzzle as fascinat- 
ing. 

favor. The use of favor for letter is now very 
fortunately restricted to business correspond- 
ence and may eventually die out. Thus “Your 
favor of the fifth instant at hand and in reply 
will state,” etc. Some business men are suffi- 
ciently lacking in a sense of humor to refer to a 
critical or denunciatory letter as “ Your esteemed 


GOOD ENGLISH 


89 


favor.” If we must use favor, we should at least 
limit the word to communications that are pleas- 
ing to the recipient. 

favor — resemble. As a rule favor should not 
be used for resemble. Thus when we say “John 
favors his mother more than his father ” we may 
mean that he resembles his mother or that he 
treats her more kindly. Such ambiguity is suffi- 
cient to condemn this usage. 

fear. See afraid. 

feel bad — feel badly. A grammarians’ battle 

has been waged over the relative merits of feel 
bad and feel badly. Some contend that feel bad 
must mean feel wicked ; others maintain that feel 
badly means that one’s sense of feeling is im- 
paired. The more conservative authorities teach 
that feel bad is the only correct form, but more 
liberal opinion favors the use of feel badly for 
mental distress and feel bad to indicate physical 
distress or illness. Thus “ I feel badly over my 
failure to get a prize ” and “ He feels badly over 
the loss of his position,” but “ I felt bad when we 
reached the summit ” and “ I always feel bad in 
hot weather.” In view of the evident ambiguity 
of both forms many sensible persons avoid them 
as far as possible. 

feel like. Note that feel like is usually fol- 
lowed by a participle, but that it is used colloqui- 


9 ° 


GOOD ENGLISH 


ally for care for in such instances as “ Do you 
feel like a little more tea ? ” or “ I don’t feel like 
breakfast this morning.” This usage should be 
discouraged, as it would justify such embarras- 
sing questions as ‘‘Don’t you feel like a little 
lobster ? ” 

female. In the past female was accepted as a 
synonym for woman and was freely used by 
Goldsmith, Pope, Byron, and Miss Austen. Now 
it seems to be in bad repute. Professor Louns- 
bury has shown that the word female was used 
in this somewhat discredited sense well into the 
nineteenth century and he maintains that it is 
still useful, as it is a more inclusive term than 
woman. Thus seven females in an automobile 
need not necessarily be seven women — there may 
be two women, two girls, and three infants. 
There is, however, a widespread feeling that this 
use of female is vulgar and offensive. 

fetch. See bring. 

few — a few. Note that few is largely negative 
by implication, whereas a few is affirmative. 
Thus “ Few civilized persons would care to live 
on blubber ” means not many, possibly none ; but 
“A few persons like the taste of blubber” is a 
definitely affirmative assertion. Compare " Few 
snow-storms occur in September” with “A few 
snow-storms have occurred in September.” 


GOOD ENGLISH 


91 


fewer — less. Purists tell us to say fewer when 
a number is involved, and less when we refer to an 
amount, as “Jane has fewer books and papers to 
carry than Mary,” but “Jane has less money than 
Mary.” There are cases in which this ruling will 
lead to error if we are not careful. Most of us 
would not say “ He left the room fewer than five 
minutes ago” or “We are able to sell this im- 
proved article for fewer than ten cents.” In such 
cases the time and the money are regarded as units 
and not as ordinary plurals. Observe the in- 
correct use in “ Mr. Jones went west and in fewer 
than six years he had made a fortune.” 

fill — full. Avoid the use of full after fill, as 
in “I filled the bucket full of water” or “The 
basket was filled full of fruit.” The proper form 
is filled with . 

fine. None will question the statement that 
fine is loosely used in our familiar speech. It 
occurs legitimately in the sense of refined, as in 
“fine gold,” not coarse, as in “fine particles of 
sand,” thin, as in “ a fine edge,” in addition to the 
many varied senses of superior, excellent, ele- 
vated, worthy, etc. 

fire. Fire is often heard in the sense of eject 
or throw out, but should be avoided. Thus “ The 
teacher fired Sam out of the room ” and “ His em- 
ployer fired him within a week.” Shakespeare 


92 


GOOD ENGLISH 


wrote in one of his sonnets “Till my bad angel 
fire my good one out” in unprophetic ignorance 
of the ludicrous vision that this line would arouse 
in many vulgar minds of later ages. 

first-rate. While first-rate is permitted as an 
adjective in colloquial usage, it should not be in- 
troduced as an adverb. “ She is a first-rate 
singer ” may be tolerated, but “ She sings first- 
rate ” should be avoided. There is some literary 
authority, however, for the adverbial usage. 

firstly. Objection has been raised to firstly, 
secondly, etc., on the ground that ordinal num- 
bers should not have adverbial forms. As a mat- 
ter of fact, firstly was used as far back as the 
16th century, though first was the preferred form. 
Landor and DeQuincey condemned firstly; on the 
other hand Byron, Dickens, Thackeray, Kingsley, 
and Gladstone used it. Some critics prefer firstly 
when secondly, thirdly, etc., follow it, but as a 
rule first should be used. 

first two — two first. A few authorities are 
still uncertain whether we should say first two or 
two first. In our early literature two first was 
preferred, but at present first two seems to be 
favored. In the expression “ The two first days 
of the month ” we note an impossibility — there 
cannot be two days that are first. It may be true 
that “the first two days of the month” implies 


GOOD ENGLISH 


93 


that the days are grouped in pairs, as the first two , 
the second two, etc., but this contention is surely 
negligible. See last two. 

fix. Fix is used loosely in the sense of mend 
or repair, as “ Won’t you fix my doll ? ” or “ He 
fixed the clock.” Its meaning varies widely in 
such sentences as “ You should fix { adjust ) your 
necktie ” ; “ Ask him what he will charge for fix- 
ing { drawing up) my will”; “ I fixed ( punished ) 
the rogue for insulting me”; “You must first 
fix {bribe) the magistrate”; “I fixed {arranged) 
the flowers on the table ” ; “ Let us get fixed 
{dressed) up for a walk”; “We cannot fix on 
{determine upon) a candidate.” Any one who 
tries to fix definitely the meaning of fix may find 
himself in a fix. 

fletcherize. The verb fletcherize, meaning to 
masticate thoroughly, has recently been admitted 
to our dictionaries and thus helps to immortalize 
Mr. Horace Fletcher. 

folks. Some critics object to the familiar 
American usage of folks to indicate the members 
of the family, as “How are the folks?” or “The 
folks are all well.” Most authorities, however, 
sanction this usage, so we may continue to sing 
about “ the old folks at home.” 

foot. Foot in the expression “foot the bill” 
really means to add the column of figures and 


94 


GOOD ENGLISH 


place the total at the foot. It is used loosely in 
the sense of paying the bill. 

for. Note that for is colloquial after think, as 
“ They are richer than you think for.” This con- 
struction should always be avoided. 

for that. The use of for that to introduce a 
clause giving a reason or purpose occurs in early 
modern English, but is not generally commended 
at present. The word because is a convenient 
substitute. Shylock hates Antonio “ for he is a 
Christian, but more for that in low simplicity he 
lends out money gratis.” Mr. Kipling in The 
Light that Failed wrote : “ She abused him for 
that he had ever sent Torpenhow away.’’ 

for to. Formerly for to was correctly used to 
express purpose, as in Chaucer, “ The holy blis- 
ful martir for to seke,” but now we prefer to 
alone. In New England, and to a less extent 
elsewhere, we still hear “ I am going to town for 
to buy a new hat.” 

for why. The phrase for why instead of why 
is now vulgar, as in “ I shall not join the party — 
for why f — because I don’t want to.” 

for you and I. Avoid the ungrammatical 
phrase for you and I, as in “ It was wrong for 
you and I to say such things.” The proper form 
is “ for you and me to say.” See between you 
and I. 


GOOD ENGLISH 


95 


forbid. Observe that forbid should not be fol- 
lowed by from, as “ I forbid you from doing 
that.” Say either “ I forbid you to do that ” or 
“ I forbid your doing that.” 

forehanded. The word forehanded is pro- 
vincial for well-to-do, and is not considered good 
in American usage. Thus “ Mr. Jay was a fore- 
handed farmer.” In the sense of timely or provi- 
dent it is in better repute. 

former — latter. We are told that these words 
should be used as sparingly as possible. While 
their correctness and freedom from ambiguity 
are not questioned, their use in a long sentence 
always necessitates a reference back to the thing 
first mentioned in the sentence. In short sen- 
tences these words are useful to avoid repetition 
of a name. Thus “ As soon as Harry left James, 
the latter resumed his studies.” Former and lat- 
ter may usually be avoided by recasting the sen- 
tence, as in “ James resumed his studies as soon 
as Harry left.” 

fresh. The use of fresh in the sense of impu- 
dent or presumptuous is always condemned, as in 
“ He is a fresh fellow ” or “ Don’t get fresh.” 

from. Do not use from for of, as in “ He died 
from consumption.” See die with. 

from hence. Avoid the expressions from 
hence, from thence, and from whence. Many 


9 6 


GOOD ENGLISH 


good writers have used these phrases, but from is 
redundant in all such instances. In modern liter- 
ature these forms occur most frequently in verse. 

-ful. Much controversy seems to attend the 
use of such words as cupfuls or cups full , spoon- 
fuls or spoons full , handfuls or hands full. This 
is partly due to the creation of popular forms 
cupsful , spoonsful, and handsful, which are al- 
ways wrong. A cupful is a measure of quantity. 
The proper plural is cupfuls. If we have a single 
cup and fill it three times with flour we have 
measured three cupfuls of flour. If we fill three 
separate cups with flour we have three cups full 
of flour. In neither case have we three cupsful. 
The same holds true of spoonful and handful. 

fuller. Critics have questioned whether the 
adjective full can be compared. If a thing is full 
it contains as much as possible; how can it be 
fuller ? In practical use there is need for a com- 
parative form. A housewife tells a grocer that 
unless the next bottle of ketchup or jar of honey 
is fuller than the last he will lose her custom. 
“More nearly full” might seem stilted for such 
an occasion. Compare “ The assumption of re- 
sponsibility should lead to a fuller appreciation 
of life.” See fill-full. 

function. Function should not be used loosely 
for a social gathering. It has, however, some 


GOOD ENGLISH 


97 


vogue as indicating a formal entertainment and 
is used by so careful a writer as Mr. Howells. 

funds. The word funds should not be used as 
a convenient substitute for money, as in “I am 
out of funds just now.” A fund is a sum of 
money available for certain defined purposes, as a 
sinking fund, a building fund, etc. 

funny. Funny should not be used in the sense 
of queer or strange, as In “ It is funny that you 
did not receive my letter.” Note the curious am- 
biguity of “I did not laugh at his joke because it 
was so funny!* 

further. See farther. 

future. The use of future in the sense of 
affianced husband or wife is vulgar, as “ Kathleen 
is taking a walk with her future !’ 

future — subsequent. Observe that subsequent 
looks forward from some time in the past, while 
future looks forward from the present. “During 
his first year at college he was careless, but his 
subsequent conduct was good ” is correct. Con- 
trast “I shall overlook your offense — let your 
future conduct be better,” which is also correct. 

G 

gall. The use of gall in the sense of impu- 
dence or effrontery is slang, as “ He has a lot of 
gall ” or “ They had the gall to ask for a loan.” 

8 


9 8 


GOOD ENGLISH 


gent. This vulgar abbreviation for gentleman 
is usually regarded as descriptive of a distinct 
species. Thus gents wear pants, but gentlemen 
wear trousers. Gents is a popular word in trade 
usage, as in “gents’ furnishings.” 

gentleman friend. This expression is vulgar 
at all times. Its connotation is by no means cer- 
tain, ranging from a casual acquaintance to a 
fiance. 

gerund and the possessive. See possessive 
case. 

get. The verb get is used colloquially or vul- 
garly in various phrases such as get off in “He 
got off an old joke ” ; get up in “ She gets herself 
up fine every Sunday ” ; get on in “ He must be 
getting on to fifty”; get away in “Did you get 
away with that story ? ” ; get around in “ He will 
soon be able to get around ” ; get across in “ You 
will never get that across the footlights.” Note 
also to get religion, to get square with, to get the 
drop on some one, to get six months , and to get 
left. 

get in. In England get in, meaning to gain ad- 
mittance, is condemned as a Scotticism. Thus 
“The church was crowded and we couldn’t get 
in.” This expression occurs widely in America. 

get it. See give it to. 

get to see. This locution is often heard for 


GOOD ENGLISH 


99 


visit, as “ I must get to see my brother one of 
these days.” Compare “ I did not get to hear 
Paderewski last season.” Such usage is generally 
regarded as acceptable r 

give a piece of mind. A popular idiom is used 
in the sentence “ I gave Gwendolen a piece of my 
mind” In fact most persons cannot afford to 
indulge in that form of generosity. One purist 
says the expression is “ indefensible psycho- 
logically.” 

give away. The use of give away in the sense 
of disclose or betray is colloquial, as “You must 
not give this plan away” or “Don’t give me 
away” It also occurs reflexively, as “ I gave my- 
self away by a careless remark.” Note that 
Desdemona assures Cassio that she would rather 
die “than give thy cause away.” See give way. 

give it to. Note that give it to in the sense of 
scold or chastise is slang, as “ Mother must give 
it to her for lying.” Observe the ambiguity of 
“As Jane tore this rare book I shall give it to 
her.” Compare get it in “ Jane will get it for 
tearing this book,” or “ Harry got it for coming 
home late from school.” 

give way. Usually give way means yield or 
succumb, as “They gave way to grief” or “ She 
gave way to my entreaty.” Contrast the use of 
give away, as explained above. 


IOO 


GOOD ENGLISH 


go. Go is vulgar in the sense of endure or 
tolerate , as “ I cannot go that fellow.” Com- 
pare the use of go for wager , as “ I will go you 
five dollars that he wins the election.” There are 
various colloquial phrases such as to go back on, 
to go for, to go in for, to go it strong, to go to pot, 
to go on, etc. 

go and fetch. As fetch involves the idea of 
going, we must not say " Go and fetch my cane.” 
Choose either " Fetch my cane ” or " Go and bring 
my cane.” Go and fetch is often used in giving 
orders to an intelligent dog. 

go slow. Go slow has been condemned when 
used instead of go slowly, because slow is an 
adjective, whereas an adverb is required. But 
slow has a very good record as an adverb — note 
Shakespeare’s “ How slow the time goes.” It has 
also brevity in its favor and can therefore be 
painted or printed in larger letters at points of 
danger. However, why should we consider a few 
human lives when an important principle in Eng- 
lish grammar is at stake? 

going. Some critics have condemned going 
when used to express intention, as in “ I was 
going to leave when he arrived” or, more curi- 
ously, “ I am going to stay.” This is good idio- 
matic English and needs no defense. 

going some. The expression going some is 


GOOD ENGLISH 


IOI 


current in recent slang, as “ Our net sales are 
now three millions, which is going some” The 
meaning is that the showing made by the volume 
of business is unusually good. 

good. Good is incorrectly used for well in 
such sentences as “She plays good” or “He 
writes good” Say “ I feel well this morning, 1 ” 
not “ I feel good,” which implies a state of virtue 
rather than a physical condition, 
good grammar. See grammar, 
got. Avoid got whenever mere possession is 
indicated, as “ I have got ten dollars.’’ It is prop- 
erly used in the sense of obtained, as in “ Martin 
got the book from the library.” Got is also re- 
dundant in many varied colloquial expressions 
such as “ I have got nothing to say,” “ I have got 
to do it,” and “ I have got the right to speak.” 

gotten. Some authorities condemn gotten as 
obsolete but there is ample justification for its 
use. British dictionaries mark gotten as obso- 
lete in England but “still very common” in the 
United States. Webster’s Dictionary in 1864 
marked the word “obsolescent,” but the Webster 
of 1910 admits that gotten still survives. Such 
words do not always die at the will of the 
lexicographers. 

graduate. Critics formerly insisted that we 
should not say “He graduated from Yale” but 


102 


GOOD ENGLISH 


“He zvas graduated at Yale.” The active form, 
preferably with at , is now well established and 
seems to be preferred even in England. 

grammar, good or bad. There is no valid ob- 
jection to the expressions good grammar and bad 
grammar. Nothing is gained by quibbling on 
this point. When a person says “ Them is the 
kind for you and I ” we may properly say that 
his grammar is bad . 

grammatical error. Some authorities are in- 
clined to condemn the expression grammatical 
error on the ground that it means an error that 
is grammatical, and cannot therefore mean an 
error in grammar. ‘According to such logic “Two 
and two are five ” is a grammatical error and 
“Two and two am five” is probably an ungram- 
matical error. If we accept the dictum that a 
grammatical error is an error that is grammatical, 
should we not agree that an insane asylum is an 
institution that has lost its reason? 

grand. Grand is one of the grandiloquent 
words of the language. We have grand times 
and we serve grand dinners ; we miss grand op- 
portunities and we admire grand complexions; 
we are acquainted with grand dancers whose 
manners are equally grand; whenever we go visit- 
ing, our friends treat us grand, and when we lose 
a position we get the grand bounce. 


GOOD ENGLISH 1 03 

graphic. As graphic applies to a picture or a 
drawing, it has been censured when used to de- 
scribe a word-painting, as in “ The lecturer gave 
a graphic description of the battle.” The natural 
intention in such a case, however, is to convey 
the idea that the lecturer’s description had all the 
vividness of an actual picture. For this reason 
graphic may be used figuratively to describe a 
verbal narrative. 

great big. The colloquialism great big should 
not be tolerated beyond the age of childhood. 

groom. Groom should not be used as a syno- 
nym for bridegroom, as in “The groom was at- 
tended by his brother, who acted as best man.” 
It is permitted when used with the word bride, as 
“ Let us drink to the health of bride and groom ” 
grow. The verb grow properly means to in- 
crease or develop, but it is recognized as idio- 
matic in grow light, grow dark, grow tired; and 
even in such contradictory cases as grow smaller 
and grow shorter. Thus “ In autumn the days 
grow shorter ” 

guess. Guess, in the sense of imagine, sup- 
pose, or presume, is widely condemned in England 
as an Americanism and triumphantly upheld in 
America as a survival of Chaucerian English. 
However, its widespread use in this country is far 
from Chaucerian in character. At times it is used 


104 


GOOD ENGLISH 


to express intention that does not involve any 
uncertainty or conjecture, as “ I guess I’ll go 
home,” or “ I guess I know what I’m doing,” but 
such use is incorrect. 

guest — patron. When a person is entertained 
at your home he is your guest ; when he pays for 
his entertainment at a hotel he is strictly a patron 
and not a guest of the hotel. Custom, however, 
permits the use of guest in that sense. In Eng- 
land the phrase “paying guest ” is used to de- 
scribe private boarders and lodgers, but this 
euphemism has not won favor in America. 

gums. Rubber overshoes are colloquially 
known as gums and more commonly as rubbers. 
Goloshes is no longer heard to any great extent. 

H 

ha*. Avoid the careless contraction of have to 
ha’ in speech, as “You might ha’ lost your 
money ” or “ They would ha’ had time enough to 
reach the boat.” 

habit. See custom. 

hackneyed phrases. There are certain famil- 
iar phrases that deserve a good rest. They have 
done long and faithful service in journalism and 
in colloquial speech. Let them be treated with 


GOOD ENGLISH 


io 5 


consideration. Among the more deserving are 
these : 


last but not least 
favor us with a solo 
in a few expressive words 
the proud possessor 
method in his madness 
not wisely but too well 
it stands to reason 
goes without saying 
tender his resignation 
leave no stone unturned 
launched into eternity 
words to that effect 
cheered to the echo 
haled into court 
sever his connection 
educational solons 
tendered hospitalities 
chief magistrate 
replete with interest 
the irony of fate 


render a selection 
do justice to 
long-felt want 
a sickly smile 
ever and anon 
sadder but wiser 
pearly teeth 
a sickening thud 
a fiery steed 
sumptuous repast 
years of discretion 
safe and sound 
bids fair 

taken for granted 
score a hit 
stand a chance 
one in a hundred 
point with pride 
potent factor 
almighty dollar 


had better — would better. Certain critics 
who have become enmeshed in grammatical 
snares of their own making consider had better 
wrong because it “cannot be parsed.” They 
therefore recommend the use of would better . 


106 GOOD ENGLISH 

Such grammarians had better adopt some other 
profession. In fact had better is preferable to 
would better , which is characterized as a neo- 
logism. Professor Lounsbury in his entertain- 
ing discussion of the question ( Standard of 
Usage in English, pp. 269-300) tells us that 
Browning, in deference to the critics, changed “ I 
had better not ” to “ I would better not ” in later 
editions of Pip pa Passes, but that other examples 
of would better are not common in our best 
writers. See had rather. 

had. .have. These forms are sometimes im- 
properly joined as in “ Had I have known that he 
was ill, I should have helped him.” It also oc- 
curs in shortened form “If I had’ve known,” 
which is a common and persistent error, and is 
often mispronounced had of. See of — have. 

had ought. The form had ought is always 
wrong, as in “ They had ought to secure seats at 
once,” or “You hadn't ought to take that book 
without permission.” 

had rather — would rather. Had rather is 
thoroughly good English and has an established 
record that extends from the days of Shake- 
speare and the Authorized Version of the Bible 
to the best writers of the present day. Those 
who wish Biblical authority may turn to Psalms, 
lxxxiv. 10 or I Corinthians, xiv. 19. Those who 


GOOD ENGLISH 


I07 


would quote Shakespeare may consult Much Ado , 
I, i, 132; Julius Caesar, III, ii, 25; Merchant of 
V enice , I, ii, 55, 144, etc. Typical illustrations 
may be found in Addison, Chesterfield, Mac- 
aulay, and a host of other careful writers. 
Would rather is also good English, but it is no 
better than had rather. Those who believe that 
had rather cannot be parsed have not mastered 
the subtle art of parsing. 

hail. Avoid the colloquial use of hail , as in 
“ He hails from Boston ” or “ What town do you 
hail from ? ” The word is properly used in “ The 
schooner hails from Marblehead.” 

hain’t. This word is a vulgarism in all cases, 
as “We hairit had time to go” or “He hairit 
visited the city for years.” See ain’t. 

half. Can anything be “cut in half?” Pur- 
ists suggest that “into halves ” is correct, be- 
cause we cannot cut anything into one half. In 
spite of this wise suggestion the use of “in 
half ,y is widespread in both England and Amer- 
ica. Some even object to “a half hour” instead 
of “half an hour.” Let us hope that they will 
permit a man to buy a “ half -ticket ” for his child 
and not insist on the purchase of “half a ticket.” 
Note that half may be singular or plural and that 
its number is determined by the context. Thus 
“ Half of the apple is decayed” but “Half of 


io8 


GOOD ENGLISH 


the apples are decayed.” In both cases the verb 
agrees with half, not with apple or apples. 

handful. See -ful. 

handy. Handy should not be used as a syno- 
nym for convenient or nearby. We may speak 
of a handy tool or even a handy attendant, but 
avoid such constructions as “His home is quite 
handy to the railroad” or “He lives with the 
river handy.” 

hanged — hung. Clothes are hung in a closet 
and hats are hung on a peg, but a murderer is 
hanged for his crime. The verb is regular when 
it refers to an execution. 

happen in. The use of happen in to indicate 
an unexpected visit is an Americanism, as “We 
intended to join you, but some friends happened 
in, and we had to entertain them.” An allied 
expression is happen in with } which means to 
meet casually, as “While going down the road 
we happened in with some friends.” Both of 
these expressions should be avoided. 

hardly. Avoid the double negative effect in 
such misuse of hardly as “ It isn't hardly fair to 
punish him ” when we mean “ It is hardly fair.” 
Compare “ He couldn't hardly reach the boat in 
time” and “We can't hardly wait till vacation 
comes.” 

hardly — scarcely. Some purists would con- 


GOOD ENGLISH 1 09 

fine hardly to degree, scarcely to quantity. Thus 
they would approve “This bar is hardly strong 
enough ” and “He has scarcely enough gasoline 
to reach Boston,” but they would condemn “ He 
is scarcely able to talk ” and “ He has hardly any 
money/’ This refinement seems altogether un- 
necessary. 

has — have. There has been much unnecessary 
discussion whether has or have is correct in sen- 
tences like “This is one of the best books that 
has {have) ever been written on that subject/’ 
As the relative that agrees with its antecedent 
books it is in the plural number and therefore 
have is correct. A transposition of the sentence 
should make this clear : “ Of the books that have 
been written on that subject, this is one of the 
best.” When the sentence runs “ This is the best 
book that has been written ” the verb is properly 
singular. The two constructions are distinct and 
should not be confused. 

hate. Hate should not be used for dislike or 
other less emphatic words. Some persons hate 
to get up in the morning; others hate olives. 
Some hate the new styles in dresses ; others hate 
to work. 

have ever. Note that the perfect tense is pre- 
ferred in such sentences as “ He is one of the 
bravest men I have ever met” (not “I ever 


no 


GOOD ENGLISH 


met”) and “Have you ever read Ben Hur?” 
instead of “Did you ever read Ben Hur?” 

head over heels. The expression head over 
heels is a curious but popular idiom. All of 
us are head over heels most of the time. When 
we say “He fell head over heels ” we usually 
mean heels over head. 

healthful — healthy — wholesome. Within cer- 
tain limits healthful and healthy are synonymous, 
but healthful is more likely to suggest health-pro- 
ducing, while healthy suggests a condition of 
health. Wholesome applies to that which is good 
for one, either physically or morally. Thus we 
speak of a healthy child or a healthy plant; a 
healthful climate or a healthful zone; wholesome 
food or wholesome advice. 

heap. Do not imitate the poor Indian in his 
use of heap to indicate a great many. Some per- 
sons declare that they have a heap of friends 
and others have a heap of regard for their 
friends. 

hear of it. The expression hear of it is collo- 
quial for agree or consent, as “ I planned a trip 
to Europe, but my wife wouldn’t hear of it.” 

hearty. Some critics who seem to have read 
a book on physiology object to “a hearty ap- 
petite” or “he ate heartily ” because eating has 
nothing to do directly with the heart. Let us 


GOOD ENGLISH 


III 


have a hearty laugh over their quaint objections 
and continue to enjoy hearty meals as in the past. 

help. Help t meaning servants, is an Ameri- 
can colloquialism, as “We are without help at 
present/’ or “ In many a home the mistress helps 
the help” Note the familiar f( Help wanted” in 
American advertising. 

help laughing. We are sometimes urged not 
to use help with a following participle, as in “I 
could not help laughing at their foolish antics.” 
Evidently the critics would have us all saying “ I 
could not hut laugh” Most of us cannot help 
wondering whether there is a limit to such un- 
warranted censure of acceptable idioms. 

help, more than. Help forms part of a pe- 
culiar idiom which is used as in “ I shall not 
scratch the paint more than I can help,” mean- 
ing really “more than necessary.” It would 
seem as if more than I cannot help more nearly 
expresses our intention yet no one would think 
of using that form. 

henceforth — hereafter. Note that hereafter 
means at some future time, but henceforth means 
for all future time. Thus “ I shall reveal my 
plans hereafter,” but “ I shall live in New York 
henceforth” Hereafter is frequently used for 
henceforth in public announcements, as “Here- 


I T 2 


GOOD ENGLISH 


after all passengers must use the western en- 
trance to the station.” 

herewith. Observe that herewith is super- 
fluous in “Enclosed herewith find my check,” 
etc., but this usage is well established in business 
correspondence. “I am sending herewith ” is 
correct. 

hike. Hike as a verb or a noun was formerly 
regarded as slang, but is winning favor in the 
sense of a walking trip . The Boy Scouts have 
helped to make hikes and hiking popular, so that 
these words may eventually attain good standing. 

hire. See lease. 

his — her. The lack of a personal pronoun of 
common gender in the third person singular is 
felt in English as it is in other languages. In 
this form alone is there any distinction of sex. 
Although I, thou , we, you, and they refer to male 
and female alike, we must make a distinction be- 
tween he and she. Contrast the effect of “If 
you wish to make a speech you may have five 
minutes in which to explain your views” with 
“If any member of the club wishes to express 
his or her views bf the matter I shall allow him 
or her five minutes so that he or she may en- 
lighten us.” Every effort should be made to 
avoid such awkward usage. It is permissible 
to use his as a pronoun of common gender in 


GOOD ENGLISH 


lx 3 

such cases. A minister may say “ Every member 
of the congregation may show his interest by the 
zeal with which he sells tickets for our concert,” 
although there may be more women than men in 
his audience. See also thou. 

his’n. Avoid the vulgar forms his’n, your’n, 
her*n, their* n, etc., for the various possessive 
pronouns, as “ My drawing is better than his’n” 
homely. A recent British writer informed 
the world at large that homely in the sense of 
ugly is an Americanism. Readers of Milton may 
recall the lines of Comus: 

“ It is for homely features to keep home ; 

* They had their name thence.” 

Besides Milton, there is ample excellent Brit- 
ish authority for the use of this “ Americanism/* 
honorable. It is proper to address a letter to 
“Honorable John Smith,” but personal refer- 
ences should be to “ the Honorable John Smith/’ 
hope. Do not use hope with a following pro- 
noun in the objective case, as in "I hope you a 
pleasant journey.” Say “I wish you” or “ I 
hope that you will have” 
hopes. Avoid the colloquial plural hopes in 
such cases as “ I have no hopes of visiting Eng- 
land this summer.” 

horrid. Horrid is one of our hackneyed 
words. We have horrid weather and horrid 


9 


GOOD ENGLISH 


114 

luck, horrid times and horrid headaches. More- 
over, our friends dress in horrid taste and fre- 
quently say horrid things about us. 

how? In asking a person to repeat a remark 
do not say how? for “ What did you say ? ” The 
familiar “ I beg pardon ? ” is acceptable. Avoid 
the vulgar use of how or as how as a conjunc- 
tion. Thus “ He remarked how he wouldn’t 
have to work any more ” or “ He declared as how 
he was now rich and independent.” 

however. Do not use the exclamatory how- 
ever , as in “However could they say such a 
thing?” The proper form is “How could they 
ever say such a thing?” 

human — humane. Human refers to man, 
humane means compassionate. “We are all 
human,” but “We are not all noted for our 
humane deeds.” Before 1700 humane was merely 
a variant form of human. 

humanitarian. Humanitarian should not be 
confused with humane or philanthropic. This 
word formerly meant one who denied the divin- 
ity of Christ. When used to designate a humane 
person it is therefore ambiguous, 
hung. See hanged. 

hurry. Hurry is sometimes confused with 
hasten, as in “If we do not hurry we shall miss 


GOOD ENGLISH 


IJ 5 

the train.” Hurry implies reckless, disorderly 
haste, with much confusion. 

I 

ice cream — ice water. Years ago Richard 
Grant White sought to convince his readers that 
there is no such thing as ice-cream or ice-water. 
He insisted on iced-cream and iced-water. Now 
ice cream and ice water are familiar, usually 
without the hyphen. Iced-cream has become ob- 
solescent. If it means anything at present it 
parallels the form of iced tea and iced milk, and 
suggests cream that has been reduced to a low 
temperature by the use of ice. It does not mean 
the frozen dessert that we call ice cream. As 
for ice zvater and iced-zvater, we may regard the 
former as melted ice and the latter as chilled 
water, but not necessarily water that has been 
melted from ice. The form ice water seems to 
be preferred in either case. 

identified with. Avoid the hackneyed use of 
identified with for associated with or connected 
with, as “ Mr. Brown has been identified with 
the Blank-Dash Company for twenty years.” 

if. Do not use if for whether when an alter- 
native act is indicated, as in “He didn’t know 


Il6 GOOD ENGLISH 

if his mother would arrive by the next boat or 
by the train.” 

ilk. Ilk should not be used as a synonym for 
kind, as in “actors, singers, and others of that 
ilk.” The word properly means “ of the same 
name or estate.” Thus “ Kinloch of that ilk” 
means “Kinloch of Kinloch.” Ilk is virtually 
obsolescent and owes its frail grasp on existence 
to the few writers who generally use it incor- 
rectly. 

illicit. See elicit, 
illusion. See allusion. 

illy. Illy should not be used in place of ill, 
which is the proper adverbial form. It occurs 
in Fielding, Southey, Irving, and Hardy, but is 
now generally condemned, 
immigrant. See emigrant, 
imminent. See eminent, 
in. Avoid the use of in when for is needed, 
as in “ He has not been here in three months.” 
See at. 

in despite of. See despite, 
in — into. Distinguish between in, which de- 
notes state or position, and into, which denotes 
motion or tendency towards something. Thus 
“ The fish is in the water,” but “ Throw the fish 
into the water.” There is an evident difference 
between “He walked in the garden” and “He 


GOOD ENGLISH 


117 

walked into the garden.” “ Come in ” is correct, 
but not “ Come in the house.” See into. 

in a street — on a street. Both in and on are 
widely current before the names of streets and 
avenues. Thus “We live on Tenth Street” and 
“ His place of business is in Hunter Avenue.” 
Our choice may be influenced by our conception 
of what really constitutes the street, whether the 
driveway between sidewalks, the thoroughfare 
between housefronts, or the dwellings, lots, etc., 
together with the intervening space. In the two 
narrower senses, one lives neither in nor on a 
street, but beside a street, though we never say 
so. When a man has a villa beside the Hudson 
he tells us that the villa is on the Hudson, not in 
the Hudson. 

in our midst. This phrase when used for 
among us is sometimes condemned as colloquial, 
but is generally accepted as idiomatic. It was de- 
fended by Fitzedward Hall and by later authori- 
ties. 

in respect of. Note that in respect of is in- 
correct for in respect to or with respect to, as 
" In respect of age they do not differ much.” In 
regard to and with regard to are correct. 

in so far as. In is usually unnecessary in this 
phrase as “ In so far as I know, he is not coming 
to-day.” 


Il8 GOOD ENGLISH 

in time— on time. These terms are not synon- 
ymous. If a train is scheduled to leave at 8.05 
a prospective passenger who arrives at 8.08 is 
not on time. If, however, the train has been de- 
layed, the lucky man may yet be in time . 

inasmuch — insomuch. Inasmuch is followed 
by as and means because or since; insomuch is 
followed by that and means to such a degree. 
Thus “ We decided to give him the books, inas- 
much as we had no further use for them,” but 
“ Scott was a prolific writer, insomuch that he 
earned a fortune with his pen.” 

individual. Observe that individual does not 
simply mean person. It suggests a single or 
distinct person as opposed to a group or combi- 
nation of persons. Thus it is correct to say 
“What should be legislation by a council is fre- 
quently legislation by individuals .” In such 
cases as “Who is that mysterious individual ?” 
or “He was a rough looking individual ” it is 
better to substitute person. Many writers disre- 
gard this distinction. 

indulge. Avoid the verb indulge in the sense 
of use intoxicants , as in “ He offered me a glass 
of whiskey, but I told him that I never indulged.'’ 

inevitable — infallible. Inevitable means un- 
avoidable, as “ the inevitable hour.” Infallible 
means unerring or exempt from possibility of 


GOOD ENGLISH 


1 T 9 

failure, as “infallible evidence” or “infallible 
remedies.” 

infectious. See contagious, 
ingenious — ingenuous. Ingenious means skil- 
ful or full of ideas; ingenuous means frank and 
innocent. Thus we say “an ingenious inventor” 
and “ an ingenious device,” but “ an ingenuous 
maiden” and “an ingenuous child.” An ingen- 
ious girl may try to appear ingenuous. 

insane asylum. One careful critic objects to 
insane asylum on the ground that an asylum can- 
not be of unsound mind. What is to become of 
our poorhouses and our sickrooms, to say nothing 
of our criminal courts ? 

inside of. This phrase is colloquial for inside 
or within. Note the difference in meaning in 
“ Come inside of the house ” and “ The war will 
be over inside of a month.” 

intended. The verb intended should not be 
followed by the perfect infinitive, as “We in- 
tended to have written Say “We intended to 
write. y> See perfect infinitive. 

into — in to. Distinguish between into and in 
to. Compare “ I went into the bank to have a 
check cashed ” with “ When I reached the bank 
I went in to have a check cashed.” Note the 
ridiculous vision that is suggested by “Mr. Jones 
took Miss Smith into dinner,” whereas his tak- 


120 


GOOD ENGLISH 


ing “ Miss Smith in to dinner ” would be a com- 
monplace event. 

invaluable. Invaluable does not usually mean 
valueless, but valuable beyond estimation, as “ an 
invaluable diamond necklace.” At times the 
word is used in the sense of worthless, but it is 
usually not difficult to decide which meaning is 
intended. 

invent. See discover. 

invite. Avoid the use of invite for invitation, 
as in “ He gave me an invite to the wedding.” 
Although regarded as modern slang, invite was 
thus used as early as 1659, and seems to have 
been regarded as correct a hundred years ago. 

irreparable — irreplaceable. That is irrep- 
arable which cannot be repaired; that is irre- 
placeable which cannot be replaced. Mr. Glad- 
stone once described a political associate who 
had died as “an irreparable colleague” — surely 
an improper locution. 

is being. See passive progressive form, 
isn’t but. Observe that the contradictory 
phrase isn’t but, as in “ There isn’t but one apple 
left ” should be “ There is but one.” 

it. Note that it should be used with caution 
in indefinite or impersonal expressions. Avoid 
such usage as “On the sign it says that admis- 


GOOD ENGLISH 


I 2 I 


sion is free” and “In the dictionary it gives a 
list of phrases.” 

it is me. While purists naturally insist on 
“ It is I” the form “ It is me ” is clearly pre- 
valent in speech and in writing. The argument 
for its use should be based on the fact that it is 
generally accepted as correct, not on the fact that 
a Frenchman says Cest moi, which is not anal- 
ogous. It may be interesting to the champions 
of “It is me ” to know that the expression oc- 
curs in Byron, Shelley, Emerson, Browning, 
Tennyson, and Thackeray, but the person who 
acquires the habit of saying “It is I” has no 
apologies to make. He has the satisfaction of 
knowing that his usage is beyond criticism. 

its — it’s. The abbreviation it's for it is must 
not be confused with its without the apostrophe. 
Note the correct use of both forms in “ It's evi- 
dent that the piano has lost its tone.” 

J 

jell. The colloquial verb jell for jelly is in- 
correct, as in “We boiled the fruit for two hours 
but it would not jell.” 

jeopardize. The verb jeopardize was for- 
merly condemned by purists as an incorrect form 
of jeopard. It is now well established and may 


122 


GOOD ENGLISH 


be used without hesitation. In fact, the person 
who uses jeopard is more likely to be called on 
to defend his usage. 

jewelry — jewels. It is impossible to accept the 
ruling that jewelry should be used exclusively to 
designate the jeweler’s stock in trade and that 
jewels should mean the individual articles of 
adornment. We may properly speak of a woman 
who wears her jewels , but of a man we say that 
he wears much or little jewelry , not many or few 
jewels. “ Mrs. Smith wears too much jewelry ” 
seems to suggest a meaning that differs from 
“ Mrs. Smith wears too many jewels.” 

jolly. Jolly is an overworked adjective, espe- 
cially in England. It wanders far from its ac- 
cepted meaning in “ We found it jolly cold in 
the cavern” or “ That's a jolly glum face you’re 
wearing to-day.” 

journal. Objection has been raised to the 
term journal when applied to other than a daily 
paper. In popular usage we speak of weekly 
journals and monthly journals, and feel that the 
extension of the meaning is justified. 

journalese. Journalese is a colloquial name 
for the kind of writing that is apparently fos- 
tered by immature newspaper reporters. When 
a journalist describes a great fire that did much 
damage as “ a devastating conflagration that prac- 


GOOD ENGLISH 


123 


tically annihilated an extensive area in the busi- 
ness section of the metropolis ” he is writing 
journalese. In journalese a man flays his critics, 
a witness is grilled by an attorney, and the victim 
of an accident sustains a broken leg or neck, as 
the case may be. Housemaids become domestics, 
while councilmen become city fathers and even 
municipal Solons. Is it any wonder that a re- 
porter becomes a representative of the press? 
See hackneyed phrases. 

Jr. Note that Jr. is part of a man’s name and 
may be used with either Mr. or Esq. but not with 
both. “Mr. Henry A. Jones, Jr! 3 and “Henry 
A. Jones, Jr., Esq.” are both correct. “Mr. 
Henry A. Jones, Jr. Esq.” is wrong. The ab- 
breviation may be written Jr. or jr. See Esq. 

just. The use of just for quite or altogether 
has been condemned as an Americanism. Thus 
“ It is just perfect ” or “ His count was just ex- 
act.” Compare “ It was just lovely of you to 
come.” 

K 

keen. Keen is slang in the sense of eager or 
desirous when used as in “They are keen to join 
us ” or “ I’m not keen on riding in that auto- 
mobile.” 

kick. Avoid the use of kick in the sense of 


124 


GOOD ENGLISH 


complain or protest, as “ He kicked because he 
did not get his share.” There seems to be high 
authority for this bit of slang, as in the Bible 
we read “ Wherefore kick ye at my sacrifice and 
at mine offering, which I have commanded?” (/ 
Samuel, ii. 29.) Jeshurun, be it noted, waxed 
fat before he kicked. ( Deut . xxxii. 15.) 

kid. The use of kid for child is vulgar, but 
the variant kiddie is now frequently used as a 
term of endearment. In slang kid is used ex- 
tensively as a verb. Thus “He was trying to 
kid me about my new hat.” 

kind. Note that kind is singular and should 
not be preceded by these or those. Avoid “ these 
kind of apples ” or “ those kind of rules.” Say 
this kind and that kind. Those kind occurs 
widely in literature from Shakespeare to Jane 
Austen and more recent writers. See sort. 

kind of. This expression in the sense of some- 
what is condemned as an Americanism, as “ He 
was kind of dissatisfied when he heard the result.” 
One should avoid kind of a for kind of, as in 
“ What kind of a fish is that ? ” The same holds 
true of sort of a, as in “ Mr. Jones is a sort of a 
mechanic.” 

knight-templar. Those who wish to write 
the plural of this word may choose knights - 


GOOD ENGLISH 


125 


templar, knight-templars, or knight s-templars. 
The last is the preferred form. 

knock. Avoid the use of knock in the sense 
of abuse or find fault with, as “Why do you 
always knock your friends ?” Knocked out for 
exhausted or wearied is also objectionable, as 
“We were all knocked out after our long tramp.” 

know as. The use of know as for believe 
should be avoided, as “ I do not know as you 
ought to go.” 

knowing. Knowing in the sense of intelligent 
or bright has been condemned, as “a knowing 
child,” but it has a good literary pedigree. 

L 

lady. Some discrimination should be shown in 
the use of the word lady. Sensible persons do 
not speak of a saleslady, a shoplady, a scrub- 
lady, or even a washlady. If these are accept- 
able, why not salesgentleman, chair gentleman, 
and ashgentlemanf There is nothing derogatory 
about the word ivoman and a true lady never 
objects to being called a woman. The old- 
fashioned gentlewoman and the needlewoman 
have now been superseded by the cleaninglady 
and the cooklady of to-day. The use of lady on 
hotel-registers is also objectionable, as in “Mr. 
Arthur C. Bruce and Lady.” 


126 


GOOD ENGLISH 


lady-friend. This term is quite as undesirable 
as gentleman-friend. It usually means fiancee, 
as in “ Mr. Watson and his lady-friend took tea 
with us this afternoon,” but it is now used loosely 
to indicate any degree of acquaintanceship. 

last — latest. In general it is safe to assume 
that last means final and latest means most re- 
cent. Thus “ We carried out his last wish,” but 
“ What is the latest news ? ” Again, “ Have you 
read Blank’s last book ? ” implies that Blank is 
dead, or, for some other good reason, will write 
no more. “ Have you read Blank’s latest book ? ” 
suggests the most recent book of an active writer. 
However, note that we speak of the last number 
of a magazine, not ordinarily of the latest num- 
ber, and that we also speak of last summer, last 
week, last Tuesday, last night, etc. All of these 
forms are recognized as good English. 

last two — two last. Much futile discussion 
has found its way into print concerning the rela- 
tive merits of last two and two last. Are we to 
say “ Smoking permitted on the last two rows 99 
or “on the two last rows f” The argument 
against two last is that only one can be last; the 
argument against last two is that the rows are 
not arranged in groups of two, therefore we can- 
not have a last two. Most persons will agree 
that last two sounds more logical and is for that 


GOOD ENGLISH 


127 


reason the preferable term. Note the effect of 
both forms in “ He was delirious during the last 
four ( four last) days of his life” and in “Mr. 
Brown bequeathed his fortune to his last three 
( three last) children.” See first two. 

later on. The word on is entirely useless in 
this phrase, as in “We shall join you later on.” 

latter — last. Latter refers to the second of 
two, last refers to the final one of several. Thus 
“I am sending samples for Mr. Blank and Mr. 
Dash, and also a note for the latter” but “ Chau- 
cer, Milton, and Shakespeare were all great 
poets, but the last surpasses the others.” We 
speak of the “ latter part of the week” as op- 
posed to the earlier part, but the “ last piece of 
pie” as distinguished from all other pieces. 

laundried. Note that laundried should not be 
used for laundered , as in “Where were these 
collars laundried ?” Distinguish between the 
place and the process. 

lay — lie. Confusions between lay and lie are 
not only the bane of such speakers as are im- 
perfectly educated, but are common in literature. 
Professor Lounsbury cites examples from Bacon, 
Pepys, Fielding, Cumberland, Walpole, Scott, 
and Trollope. Byron’s “There let him lay” in 
Childe Harold is not an instance of ignorance on 
the part of the poet, but a deliberate subordina- 


128 


GOOD ENGLISH 


tion of grammatical requirements to the exigen- 
cies of rhyme — or, in the idiom of real Eng- 
lish, he did it on purpose. Most of us are will- 
ing to accept “lay of the land” as correct, al- 
though “ lie of the land ” may have theory on its 
side. 

learn. Do not use learn in- the sense of teach. 
It was formerly acceptable, and older copies of 
the Bible have “Learn me good judgment and 
knowledge.” ( Psalms , cxix. 66.) Compare also 
Shakespeare’s Much Ado, iv, i, 31. It may be 
true that “ A wise teacher goes to school to learn 
his pupils ” but the world at large takes the more 
commonplace view that he goes to teach them. 

lease — let — hire — rent. The word lease is 
used loosely in modern English. Thus “ Mr. 
Brown leased a house ” may mean that he secured 
a tenant for one of his properties or that he took 
a lease on another man’s property. We should 
use lease to and lease from to express our mean- 
ing more clearly. A property may be let to a 
tenant or let hy an owner, but not let from an 
owner. We hire from an owner or we hire out 
something. We may rent to a tenant or rent 
from an owner. 

leave. Some authorities object to the intran- 
sitive use of leave in the sense of depart, as in 
“He leaves for the South to-day.” This usage 


GOOD ENGLISH 


I29 


is well established, however, and is extensively 
used. 

leave — let. In certain uses it is difficult to 
avoid confusion between leave and let. Such 
expressions as “Leave me alone” in the sense 
of “ Do not disturb or annoy me ” are condemned 
by some authorities as illiterate and are sanc- 
tioned by others. “Let me alone” is, of course, 
the preferred form. “Leave me be” is gener- 
ally condemned. It is also better to substitute 
let in “Leave go of me.” Say “Let him have 
the money,” not " Leave him have the money.” 

leave — lief. These words are easily confused. 
Leave in certain uses implies permission, but lief 
forms an idiom after had as, meaning to accept 
or to favor one of two alternatives. “ Give me 
leave (not lief) to go” is correct. So is “I had 
as lief (not leave) go now as later.” 

leg. Several decades ago human beings 
seemed to have four limbs, two of which were 
arms, while the other two were always rather 
modestly described as limbs. 'At that time such 
vagueness in particularization was regarded as 
evidence of commendable refinement on the part 
of the speaker. Nowadays men and women have 
four limbs, but these are more bluntly itemized 
as two arms and two legs. Let us hope that the 
squeamish days when tables, chairs, and sofas 


10 


13 ° 


GOOD ENGLISH 


exposed their naked limbs in our homes are gone 
forever. 

lengthy. Lengthy implies that the thing de- 
scribed is not merely long, but immoderately so. 
A long sermon may be a good sermon ; a lengthy 
sermon wearies the congregation. 

leniency. Some purists insist that there is no 
such word — by which they mean that they do not 
approve the manner of its formation. In spite 
of its theoretical annihilation, leniency gives evi- 
dence of being alive and useful. Grammarians 
in the past have tried to kill words, but those 
words, no matter how plebeian their strain, have 
survived their critics, 
less. See fewer. 

less — least. Choose less in reference to two, 
least in reference to more than two. Avoid such 
sentences as “ Of two evils choose the least ” 
lesser. Although the accepted comparative 
form is less, there is some authority for lesser in 
the sense of minor or inferior, as “ Lesser Asia ” 
or “the lesser Victorian poets.” In such in- 
stances a noun usually follows lesser. 

let on. Avoid the vulgar use of let on for pre- 
tend, as “ He let on that he was hurt.” It also 
occurs in the sense of divulge, as “ I didn’t let on 
that I knew his plans.” 

liable. Some authorities condemn the use of 


GOOD ENGLISH 


I 3 I 

liable with an infinitive verb. They freely permit 
us to say “ liable to cold” or “liable to error,” 
but they frown upon “ liable to catch cold” and 
“liable to err.” If they read much modern liter- 
ature they will have a great deal of frowning to 
do. However, let us be charitable; we are all 
liable to make mistakes. See apt. 
lie. See lay. 
lief. See leave. 

lift. Lift in the sense of pay , as “to lift a 
mortgage” or “to lift a note” is an American- 
ism. In dialectal use it may mean taking up a 
collection in church, as “ The collection will now 
be lifted ” It also is heard colloquially in the 
sense of steal, as “to lift a handkerchief” or 
even “to lift a drove of cattle.” 

lighted — lit. Lighted is preferred to lit, but 
both forms are current and are widely used by 
careful writers without distinction in meaning. 
Frederic Harrison wrote: “One hundred years 
ago, to have lit this theater as brilliantly as it is 
now lighted would have cost, .fifty pounds.” 

light on. The expression light on in the sense 
of find or encounter is colloquial, as “ Where did 
you light on that book?” or “ I lit on that copy at 
an auction sale.” 

lightning, Do not use lightning as a verb. 


132 


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It is incorrect to say “It thundered and light- 
ninged !’ Lightened is the proper form, 
like. See as. 

like that. Guard against ambiguity in the use 
of like that. Thus “Do not swing a club like 
that ” may mean “Do not swing that kind of 
club ” or “ Do not swing a club in that manner.” 

liked. Liked in the sense of came near or al- 
most is vulgar, as “He liked to have fallen out 
of the window ” or “ He liked to have been too 
late.” 

likely. See apt. 

limb. A delicately vague word, still affected 
to some extent by those fastidious persons who 
wish to ignore the obvious fact that every nor- 
mal human being has a pair of legs. See leg. 

limited. Avoid the use of limited for small 
or slight, as “ He had a limited knowledge of 
German ” or “ He was a man of limited means.” 
The greatest philologist in the world has only 
limited knowledge of a language, and even a 
multi-millionaire is a man of limited means. 

line. Line is a part of various colloquial 
phrases, virtually all of which seem to be more or 
less objectionable. A man engages in a certain 
“ line of business ” and follows a certain “ line of 
argument ” to bring trade. A scholar who speaks 
“along scientific lines ” does not indulge in the 


GOOD ENGLISH 


133 


same “ line of talk” as another person. If a 
merchant’s “ line of goods ” fails to attract busi- 
ness his “ line of credit ” is curtailed and he soon 
complains of “ hard lines 
LL.B. — LL.D. Note that the abbreviations for 
Bachelor of Laws and Doctor of Laws should 
never be written L.L.B. and L.L.D. The cor- 
rect form has no period after the first “ L,” thus 
“John Brown, LL.D!’ 

loan. Purists still object to the use of loan 
as a verb in place of lend , as “ Will you loan me 
your knife?” Loan has a long record as a verb 
and is now indulgently regarded in England as 
well as in America. It is no longer possible to 
condemn such usage as colloquial. 

locate. Locate should be avoided in the sense 
of lives, as “He is now located in Harrisburg.” 
It is also wrong in the sense of find, as “ I can- 
not locate my seat.” 

lonely — solitary. Solitary means without as- 
sociates, but lonely has the added implication of 
desiring associates. “A solitary traveler” may 
be satisfied with his own company, but “a lonely 
traveler ” desires to converse with some one. A 
hermit is solitary; if he is also lonely he should 
choose some other kind of life, 
long. See lengthy, 
look bad (badly). See feel bad. 


134 


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look good — look well. It is necessary to dis- 
criminate between look good and look well. A 
nicely roasted turkey looks good and will prob- 
ably taste good. A healthy person looks well. 
A minister may look good f yet not look well. 
Avoid the vulgar use of look good in the sense 
of appeals to, as in “ That overcoat looks good to 
me.” In our modern slang a vicious thug may 
look good to an unscrupulous lawyer who scents 
a client. 

Lord’s Prayer. There seems to be some un- 
certainty as to the authority for certain pronouns 
used in the Lord’s Prayer. The American Book 
of Common Prayer has “ as we forgive those who 
trespass against us,” while the English Prayer- 
Book has “as we forgive them that trespass 
against us.” The Biblical versions {Mark, vi. 
12 and Luke, xi. 4) do not agree with either of 
these forms. 

lot — lots. These words are colloquial for a 
great many or a great deal, as “We had lots 
of goods left after the sale” or “A lot of per- 
sons make no provision for the future.” Com- 
pare “Jones thinks lots of his new baby,” mean- 
ing that he is proud of the infant. 

loud — loudly. Such expressions as “ Speak 
loud ” or “ Speak louder ” may be regarded as 
idiomatic, with the adjective forms retained in 


GOOD ENGLISH 


135 


adverbial uses. It seems unnecessary to insist 
upon “ Speak loudly ” or “ Speak more loudly” 
An audience frequently calls “ Louder ” when it 
wishes the orator to speak “ more loudly ” 
love. Do not use love when the intensity of 
feeling justifies nothing stronger than like, as in 
“ I love ice cream ” or “ I love to visit art muse- 
ums. Compare “Are you a lover of candy ?” 
for “Do you like candy ?” Callow enthusiasts 
in art often “ love Botticelli ” and “ adore 
Greuze/’ Amateur musicians likewise “ dote on 
Chopin” or in the ecstasy of emotion “go crazy 
over Wolf-Ferrari.” Such excess of enthusi- 
asm is evidently in need of restraint. See dote. 

lunch., Certain purists condemn lunch for 
luncheon. The shorter form has virtually estab- 
lished itself and is far more popular than lunch- 
eon except for certain formal uses. We have 
lunch-rooms , lunch-baskets, lunch-counters , and 
lunch-hours, to say nothing of a verb lunch. 

lurid. Do not use lurid in the sense of bright 
or brilliant, as in “ A lurid radiance shot across 
the room.” The word means dull or pale, as 
when fire is seen through smoke. Thus “ a lurid 
flame” is correct, but it does not mean a bright 
flame. 

luxuriant — luxurious. Luxuriant means fer- 
tile or abundant, as luxuriant foliage or luxuri- 


136 


GOOD ENGLISH 


ant hair. Luxurious means pertaining to lux- 
ury, as a luxurious life or luxurious ease. Do 
not speak of a luxuriant home nor of luxurious 
vegetation. 

M 

mad. There are instances in Shakespeare and 
in the Bible, as well as in later literature, to prove 
the use of mad in the sense of angry, but never- 
theless this usage is objectionable. Mad now 
means insane, although it may be used in some- 
what figurative expressions such as “ mad with 
pain” or “mad with fright.” The confusion of 
the words may be due to a tacit recognition of 
the fact that anger is a form of insanity. 

madam. Madam is the proper salutation in a 
letter addressed to an unmarried woman, as well 
as in a letter addressed to a married woman. 
There is a tendency to confine the use of “ Dear 
Madam” to married women and to unmarried 
women of maturer years, and to use “ Dear Miss 
Dash ” or “ My Dear Miss Dash ” in addressing 
younger unmarried women. This modern usage 
is correct, even when the writer has never seen 
Miss Dash, but the distinction just noted is 
fraught with danger, as it would not do to estab- 
lish an age-limit after which our “Dear Miss 
Dash ” becomes a more sedate “ Dear Madam.” 


GOOD ENGLISH 


137 


majority — plurality. A majority is more than 
half of the whole number; a plurality is the ex- 
cess of votes cast for one of several candidates, 
though not necessarily an actual majority. Thus 
if Adams receives 60 votes, Black receives 35 
votes, and Clark receives 5 votes, Adams has an 
actual majority , because he received 60 of the 
100 votes. If, however, the votes are 40 for 
Adams, 35 for Black, and 25 for Clark, Adams is 
elected by a plurality of 5 votes over Black. 
These words are somewhat loosely used even 
by writers who should know better. 

make. Avoid the colloquial use of make in 
the sense of earn, as in “ What do you make a 
week?” meaning “How much do you earn?” 

make a visit. Some authorities condemn 
make a visit when used for pay a visit. 

make off. The use of make off in the sense 
of escape is idiomatic, as “The thief made off 
with the. silver.” 

man — men. Compound nouns ending in -man 
have -men in the plural as firemen, ashmen, Eng- 
lishmen, and Frenchmen. Note that the words 
German, Mussulman, Norman, Ottoman, and 
dragoman do not follow that rule, but add “ s,” 
as Germans, Mussulmans, etc. 

manner born, to the. Do not use the incor- 
rect form “to the manor born,” implying well- 


138 


GOOD ENGLISH 


born. The phrase is Shakespeare’s ( Hamlet , I, 
iv, 15) and does not mean accustomed to the 
social usages that would prevail in a manor, or, 
in general, in good society. The correct mean- 
ing is “born to follow certain practice or cus- 
tom,” or, in other words, having lifelong ac- 
quaintance with given traditions or habits of 
conduct. 

manner of means. Avoid the expression “ not 
by any manner of means ” Say “not by any 
means” or “by no means.” 

many a. Note that many a requires a sing- 
ular verb. “ Many flowers are sold there,” but 
“ Many a flower is born to blush unseen.” 

marry. Marry is ofen used loosely. In cor- 
rect speech John marries Mary, and Alary is mar- 
ried to John. The clergyman marries John and 
Mary, or he marries Mary to John. Do not say 
that Alary married John, or that Doctor Brown 
married John to Mary. In the interrogative 
forms “Who married Mary?” or “To whom 
was Mary married?” are preferred by the purist 
to “Whom did Mary marry?” 
may. See can. 

mean. Avoid mean in the sense of disoblig- 
ing, as “The conductor was so mean that he would 
not stop the car at Bunker Street.” Mean is 
also colloquial in the sense of ashamed or ill at 


GOOD ENGLISH 


139 


ease , as “My sister’s behavior made me feel 
mean ” or “ You cannot imagine how mean I felt 
at the ticket-office when I discovered that I had 
no money with me.” 

mean — intend. Some purists object to mean 
in the sense of intend t as in “ What do you mean 
to do about it?” Just why they object to this 
usage, which has had the sanction of our best 
writers since the days of the King James Bible, 
is beyond comprehension. Observe that meant 
and intended are not to be followed by the perfect 
infinitive. Do not say “ I meant to have told 
you,” but “ I meant to tell you.” See perfect 
infinitive. 

mention. See allude. 

middle. See center. 

middling. Middling in the sense of mediocre 
or fair has been used by careful writers, but it 
is now generally condemned, as in “My health 
has been middling for years,” or “He is a mid- 
dling successful sprinter.” 

midst. Some authorities object to “in our 
(their, your) midst ” for “in the midst of us 
(them, you).” It is true that these expressions 
are comparatively recent, but there is no valid 
criticism that can be made of the construction. 
Milton even has “in my midst of sorrow” for 
“ in the midst of my sorrow.” 


140 


GOOD ENGLISH 


mighty. Do not use mighty in the sense of 
very , as “They serve a mighty good dinner for 
a dollar ” or “ We had a mighty slow time at the 
reception.” Note the absurdity of “You appear 
to have mighty weak muscles.” 

militate. It is well to avoid the expression 
militate against as an unnecessary bit of journal- 
istic English. 

mind. The use of mind for remember is pro- 
vincial, as “ Do you mind how we used to coast 
down that hill?” 

minus. Do not use minus for lacking or with- 
out, as “ The ship reached port minus one pro- 
peller blade,” or “ I reached home minus my 
hat.” 

Miss Smiths — Misses Smith. In referring 
to several unmarried women named Smith we 
may say either the Misses Smith or the Miss 
Smiths. The first form is preferred for various 
reasons. Certain well-known names like Child, 
Cole, Owen, Stephen, Walter, Wood, etc., are 
also common in the plural form Childs, Coles, 
Owens, etc., and will complicate the situation. 
Thus “That automobile belongs to the Miss 
Woods whose father we met” may mean that 
the car belongs to a woman named Woods or to 
several women named Wood. Again, if Anna 
and Mary Child, and Helen and Lucy Childs 


GOOD ENGLISH 


141 

attend a reception, it is better to refer to them 
as the Misses Child and the Misses Childs, not 
the Miss Childs and the Miss Childses. 

mistaken. Purists object to “You are mis- 
taken” as equivalent to “You are wrong,” be- 
cause they contend that it means “You are mis- 
understood.” They suggest that we should say 
“You mistake ” or “You are in error.” There 
is not the least likelihood that they can enforce 
this distinction. 

mixed comparisons. Avoid such comparisons 
as “ Smith is as rich, if not richer than Jones.” 
Note that this involves the incorrect construction 
“ Smith is as rich than Jones.” Say “ Smith is 
as rich as Jones, if not richer.” 

molasses. In various parts of America mo- 
lasses seems to be regarded as a plural, as 
“Please pass those molasses” or “These molas- 
ses are the best I ever tasted.” The proper forms 
are this molasses and that molasses. 

moneyed. Critics tell us not to use moneyed 
for rich. We tolerate landed proprietors, but if 
we have moneyed bankers, why not fielded farm- 
ers and cowed dairymen? For that matter, why 
not brained scholars and ironed mine-owners? 

more. More as an adjective in the sense of 
greater is correct but is regarded as archaic. In 
Acts, xix. 32 we read “The more part knew not 


142 


GOOD ENGLISH 


wherefore they were come together.” Steven- 
son wrote “ The more part of the time,” etc. 

more — most. Use more in referring to two, 
most for more than two. Do not say “ Mary 
and J ane are both studious, but Mary is the most 
intelligent.” 

most. Most as an abbreviated form of almost 
is vulgar, as in “Are you most done with your 
drawing?” Again, “The train will soon reach 
New York; we are most there now.” This 
usage occurs commonly as most all for almost 
all. Thus “Most all of the congregation had 
left the church when the storm came.” 

most perfect. Authorities question the use 
of most (and also of more) before adjectives 
that are regarded as incapable of comparison, as 
perfect, complete, etc. In theory a thing cannot 
be more perfect or most perfect, but in practice 
many persons seem to find occasion to use these 
“impossible” comparatives and superlatives. 

move you. Note that you is unnecessary in 
the parliamentary usage “ Mr. President, I move 
you that we appropriate ten dollars for this 
purpose.” 

Mrs. Do not use a husband’s title or office 
after Mrs. Thus “Mrs. President Grant” and 
“Mrs. Professor James Roswell” are incorrect. 
■It occurs most commonly as “Mrs. Dr. Jones.” 


GOOD ENGLISH 


143 


Avoid also “The Reverend Mr. and Mrs. Jones” 
or “ The Honorable Mr. and Mrs. Brown.” The 
preferred form is “The Reverend Henry R. 
Jones and Mrs. Jones.” 

muchly. Do not use muchly for much. The 
word belongs to the vocabulary of our humorists. 

mutual. The use of mutual for common is 
most likely to occur in the expression mutual 
friend. As mutual means reciprocal or inter- 
changed it is clearly impossible for a third per- 
son to be a mutual friend. Atkins and Benson 
may be mutual friends , but Collins will be a 
common friend of the other two. So much for 
theory. In practice, many will desire to avoid 
the implication of vulgarity that lurks in the refer- 
ence to another person as “a common friend of 
ours.” Examples of the “incorrect” use of 
mutual are found in Milton, Burke, Austen, 
Scott, Byron, and Browning. Dickens called 
one of his best novels Our Mutual Friend and 
thus did more to perpetuate the usage than all 
the theorists taken together have accomplished 
in their effort to eradicate it. 

my dear. See dear. 

myself. Do not say “My father and myself 
went to Cape May,” or “ My aunt and myself 
were invited to the reception.” Use I in both 
cases. Note, however, the difference between 


144 


GOOD ENGLISH 


the preceding sentence and “They invited my 
aunt and me to the reception.” Compare also 
“We solved the problem for her ” and “She 
solved the problem for herself ” In colloquial 
usage there seems to be some warrant for the 
use of myself instead of me at the end of a 
series of names. Thus “ The committee con- 
sisted of the President, the Secretary, the Treas- 
urer, and myself While me is technically cor- 
rect, it strikes a false note by its very brevity 
and gives a definite suggestion of conceit. Note 
that the position of myself may cause ambi- 
guity. If in reply to “I feel like having some- 
thing to eat ” one should say “ I feel like eating 
myself ” the answer may possibly imply auto- 
phagous impulses. 


N 

name after. Name after is better than name 
for, as in “James is named after his grand- 
father.” 

nary. Nary is a vulgarism for not one or 
never a , as “I fished for three hours and had 
nary a bite/’ 

nasty. Nasty should not be used to describe 
things that are merely disagreeable or unpleasant, 
as “He has a nasty cough ” or “It is a nasty 


GOOD ENGLISH 


145 


night.” Its meaning is much stronger. In one 
sense the word implies something filthy or ob- 
scene; in another, something dishonorable, dis- 
gusting, or highly offensive. 

near. Do not use near in the sense of stingy , 
as “ He is a very near man.” Close is somewhat 
better, but is regarded as colloquial. 

near-by. When used as an adjective near-by 
is condemned, as “When the automobile broke 
down we went to a near-by house.” Say “to 
a house near-by” 

near so. Near so is colloquial for nearly so, 
as “John is not near so tall as Henry.” 

nee. The feminine form of the French ne, 
meaning born, is properly used when we speak 
of “ Mrs. Helen Jones, nee Smith.” This means 
that Mrs. Jones was Miss Helen Smith before 
her marriage. Obviously if Mrs. Jones were to 
marry again and become Mrs. Brown she could 
not be described as “ nee Jones,” because she 
was not born into the family of Jones. She is 
always i( nee Smith,” no matter how often she 
marries. The misuse of nee is due to the mis- 
take that it is equivalent to formerly. 

need — needs. Distinguish between need used 
as a noun or verb, and needs used as an adverb. 
Do not say “ He need must fail,” but “ He needs 
must fail.” The verb need when used as an 


11 


146 


GOOD ENGLISH 


auxiliary before a complementary infinitive is 
not inflected. Thus we say “He need not go,” 
instead of “He needs not go.” On the other 
hand, in “ He needs the money ” the verb needs 
is the predicate and is regularly inflected. Note 
that we say “ You need have no fear,” not “ You 
need to have no fear.” 

negotiate. Note that negotiate is slang when 
used loosely, as in “The chauffeur could not 
negotiate the curve in the road,” or “ The horse 
negotiated the fence with ease.” 

neither. As either means “one of two,” so 
neither means “not one or the other.” Do not 
use neither as a pronoun in referring to more 
than two, as in “ I invited Helen, Mary, and 
Jane, but neither of them cared to go.” As a 
conjunction neither may refer to more than two, 
as in “Neither Helen, Mary, nor Jane cared to 
go with me.” Note the concord in “ Neither 
Helen nor Mary is (not are) able to go” and in 
“ Neither of the girls has her (not have their) 
books.” See either. 

neither, .nor. See either, .or. 
nerve. Do not use nerve for impudence or 
audacity, as in “ I was amazed at his nerve ” or 
“He had the nerve to say he would not do it.” 

never. Never is sometimes loosely used for 
not , as in “He had never a cent in his pocket.” 


GOOD ENGLISH 


147 


The popular phrase “never fear” really means 
“ do not fear ” and is regarded as correct. Never 
is used idiomatically in emphatic denial, as in 
“ He never said a word about it.” The Ancient 
Mariner, whose language was also rather ancient, 
said that “Never a soul took pity ” on his soul in 
agony. 

never remember. Avoid the use of never re- 
member as in “ I never remember seeing such a 
strange tree before.” 

never so. See ever so. 

new pair. It is better to say “a pair of new 
gloves,” not “ a new pair of gloves.” Note, how- 
ever, that “ a new set of false teeth ” is preferred 
to “a set of new false teeth.” It is also likely 
that “a new suit of clothes” will appeal more 
strongly than “ a suit of new clothes.” We may 
prefer “a fresh pack of cards,” but we should 
avoid “ a hot bucket of water” or “a ripe basket 
of fruit.” 

new — novel. A thing is new when it is the 
opposite of old, but to be novel it must be un- 
usual as well as new. A new inkwell may be 
exactly like your old inkwell, but a novel ink- 
well would be unlike all those with which you 
are familiar. 

news. Do not treat news as a plural, as in 


148 


GOOD ENGLISH 


“ The news this morning are not reassuring,” or 
“What are the news from the front?” 

newsy. The word newsy should not be used 
for full of news, as “ Ann wrote a newsy letter.” 
In slang the word means a newsboy, as “The 
little newsy was run over last night.” 

nice. Originally nice meant weak or silly, but 
more recently it has taken on the meaning of 
exact or discriminating, as “ a nice sense of pro- 
priety” or “ nice distinctions.” In colloquial use 
it is a stock term for anything pleasant or at- 
tractive. Some persons would not hesitate to 
describe Westminster Abbey or the Parthenon 
as “very nice” buildings. 

nicely. The phrase doing nicely is colloquial 
in the sense of improving, as “ Father had a re- 
lapse last week, but is now doing nicely ” One 
sometimes hears the incorrect response “ Nicely, 
thank you” given to the question “How are 
you?” 

nightly — nocturnal. Nightly suggests occur- 
ring every night; nocturnal means happening at 
night. Compare “ the nightly round of the 
patrolman” with “the nocturnal prowlings of 
the housebreaker.” 

no. No is used idiomatically for not in the 
phrase “whether or no,” and also in such cases 
as “No less than fifty persons were present.” 


GOOD ENGLISH 


149 


The preferred form is “Not fewer than fifty 
persons were present.” See fewer. 

no business. Avoid this colloquial expres- 
sion, as in “ She had no business to go without 
my permission.” Say “She should not have 
gone ” or “ She had no right to go.” 
no doubt but. See doubt but. 
no good. Do not use no good for not good or 
worthless , as “This pen is no goody 

no. .or (nor). There is no fixed rule for the 
use of the correlatives or and nor after no, but 
generally or is preferred when the expression 
that follows either explains or illustrates what 
precedes, while nor is preferred when an alter- 
native is introduced. Thus “ They have no 
funds or resources to use in this crisis,” but 
“ They have no friends nor fortune.” Again, 
“The children have no protector or guardian,” 
but “The children have no father nor mother.” 

no other, .but. Always use than instead of 
but in such sentences as “ He suffered no other 
injury but a sprained ankle.” 
nobody else’s. See else, 
nohow. Nohow is a vulgar substitute for in 
no way, or, after a negative verb, for in any way. 
Thus “ I tried several plans, but nohow could I 
solve the difficulty” and “I couldn’t solve that 
problem nohow.” 


150 


GOOD ENGLISH 


none. None is derived from no one and is 
theoretically singular, hut even in the early Eng- 
lish period it was used as a plural in the sense 
of not any. Contrast “ Of all the candidates 
none ( not one ) is qualified to assume the posi- 
tion” with u None ( not any ) are admitted with- 
out tickets.’’ 

none other. None other should not be used 
for no other, as “ It was none other than her 
father.” Some authorities defend none other as 
more emphatic. 

nor. Do not use nor after either, as “He 
would not permit his wife either to pay the bill 
nor to return the goods.” Nor is properly used 
after a negative correlative such as never, not, 
or neither. 

not all. See all. .not. 

not but what. This expression often is used 
to introduce a clause of negation that is subordi- 
nate to a previous assertion, as “I asked John 
to repair my watch; not but what I could have 
done it myself if I had tried.” Such usage is 
generally condemned. 

not. .or (nor). As correlatives, not.. or are 
preferred when they join words covered by one 
negation; not. .nor are preferred when a distinct 
clause follows. Thus “They do not buy their 


GOOD ENGLISH 


151 

gowns or their hats,” but “They do not make 
their clothes, nor do they trim their hats.” See 
no. .or (nor). 

not only, .but also. Care must be exercised 
in placing these correlatives. “ He will not only 
visit Germany, but also France,” is incorrect. 
It should be “He will visit not only Germany, 
but also France.” 

nothing like. 'Avoid the use of nothing like 
for not nearly , as “This dictionary is nothing 
like so heavy as the other.” 

notorious. Do not use notorious as a ready 
substitute for noted or prominent; it always 
suggests unenviable publicity. We may say 
“ Cairo is notorious for its beggars,” but not 
“ Chicago is notorious for its rapid growth.” An 
inn may be noted for its excellent meals, but it 
may also be notorious for its insolent servants. 

no use. Avoid no use for of no use , as in 
“ It's no use to complain.” 
novel. See new. 
novice. See amateur. 

nowhere near. Do not use nowhere near for 
not nearly, as “ He has nowhere near a thousand 
dollars.” 

nowheres. Avoid the form nowheres, as “ He 
was nowheres to be seen.” 


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o 

O — oh. Distinguish between the interjections 
O and oh. O is used in formal invocation or ad- 
dress, but oh is an exclamation of surprise or 
some kindred emotion. Contrast “ Have mercy- 
on us, O Lord” with “Oh, dear! what shall I 
do ? ” O is always a capital, but oh is capitalized 
only at the beginning of a sentence. 

obnoxious. Formerly obnoxious meant ex- 
posed to evil, and for a long time its use in the 
sense of offensive was condemned, as “ His ap- 
pointment is obnoxious to the party leaders.” 
At the present time the word is rarely used in 
any other sense. 

observance — observation. Observation is the 
act of watching some occurrence; observance is 
the act of heeding or following custom or pre- 
scribed duty. Thus we speak of the observation 
of an eclipse or of naval maneuvers, but of the 
observance of the Sabbath or of the law. 

observe. Observe should not always be used 
for remark. It is permissible if the remark is 
the result of observation on the part of the 
speaker, but it is not good English to write “ I 
called the butler, who observed that he wanted a 
short vacation.” 

occur. Avoid the use of occur in referring to 


GOOD ENGLISH 


153 


a wedding, a funeral, or any other event that is 
definitely arranged for. A marriage takes place , 
an accident occurs. 

of. The word of is superfluous in such ex- 
pressions as smell of, taste of, and feel of. Thus 
“Just smell of this lovely flower” or “I should 
like to taste of that pudding.” 

of all others. Note the illogical use of the 
phrase of all others, as in “ The trait of meanness 
is of all others the one that I despise most.” 
Meanness must be included among the traits that 
are despised. Macbeth was similarly careless in 
speech when he said to Macduff : “ Of all men 
else I have avoided thee.” ( Macbeth , V, viii", 4.) 

of any. Of any should be avoided when of 
all is meant, as “ This hat is the most expensive 
of any I have bought.” Say either “most ex- 
pensive of all’ ’ or “more expensive than any 
other.” See any. 

of — have. As a curious result of slipshod 
speech, of is sometimes written incorrectly for 
have as in “ I might of gone ” for “ I might’ve 
gone ” or “ He could of had it ” for “ He could’ve 
had it.” 

of the name of. See by the name of. 

of — to. See quarter of. 

offhanded. The form offhand is now pre- 


154 


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ferred. The same holds true of underhand and 
secondhand. 

off of. Avoid the colloquial phrase off of in 
the sense of from, as “I got these books off of 
the teacher” or “ I bought this soap off of the 
grocer.” There is amusing ambiguity about the 
sentence “ A thief stole a wig off of Mr. Blank/’ 
O. K. There is no literary sanction for 0. K . 
as a verb but it occurs frequently in business 
correspondence. The best forms are 0. K’s, 
O. K’d, and O. King, . Thus “If Mr. Smith 
O. K’s my order for twelve dozen instead of 
O. K’ing the order for six dozen which should 
have been 0. K’d last week I shall be much 
obliged.” The forms 0. K.s, O. K.d and O.K.ing 
are less desirable. 0. K-d and 0. K-ing should 
not be used. 

old adage. Old is superfluous, as no one has 
ever discovered a young adage . 
older — oldest. See elder — eldest, 
on. Some authorities condemn the omission 
of on in such cases as “We shall call (on) Mon- 
day” or “We were there (on) last Monday.” 
However, “We were there last Monday” is 
quite as acceptable as “We shall call next week” 
or “We shall return this evening.” Note that 
on is redundant in “He continued on with his 


GOOD ENGLISH 


155 


work/’ Compare also the use of on in the 
phrases “ further on ” and “ later on.” 

on hand. On hand in the sense of present is 
regarded as an Americanism. Thus “ I shall be 
on hand when you need me.” 
on a street. See in a street, 
on time. See in time. 

once. Avoid the use of once as an adjective, 
as in “ The business is managed by a once New 
Yorker, Charles B. Blank/’ 

once in a while. This expression is colloquial, 
as in “ We all lose our tempers once in a while.” 
See every now and then. 

one. The older grammarians insisted that 
one should not be followed by he, she, or any 
other pronoun than one. Thus they condemned 
“ If one fails to profit by the mistakes of others, 
he may profit by his own,” and they changed the 
last clause to “ one may profit by one’s own.” 
The repetition of one sounds stilted and has led 
recent authorities to sanction the change of pro- 
noun within reasonable limits. Such a ruling 
would not, however, tolerate constructions like 
“Every one is responsible for their own acts” 
or “ Every one did as they thought best.” After 
such forms as any one, every one, no one, many 
a one } etc., he may be used, as “No one knows 
when he will meet his fate.” Avoid you after 


156 


GOOD ENGLISH 


one, as “When one is tired you don’t like to do 
any work.” 

one another. See each other. 

one-horse. Avoid the vulgar expression one- 
horse for inferior, poor, or unsatisfactory, as “a 
one-horse town ” or “ a one-horse establishment.” 

one or two is (are). The correct form is 
one or two are, as “We have sold most of the 
melons, but one or two are left.” Compare 
“ One or two of our windows need new panes.” 
In such cases the verb agrees with the nearer 
subject. 

ones. Avoid the plural form ones in such 
constructions as “ I have five ribbons, two red 
ones and three blue ones Ones is correct in 
“ Kindly cash this check in fives and ones/' It 
is also popular in speaking of children as “ little 
ones/' 

only. In our entire vocabulary there is prob- 
ably no other word that vies with only in its 
faculty for slipping into the wrong position and 
thus changing the meaning of our sentences. 
Note the changes effected by shifting the posi- 
tion of only in the following sentences: 

Only Henry lent me his brother’s rifle. 

Henry only lent me his brother’s rifle. 

Henry lent only me his brother’s rifle. 

Henry lent me only his brother’s rifle. 


GOOD ENGLISH 


157 


Henry lent me his only brother's rifle. 

Henry lent me his brother’s only rifle. 

Henry lent me his brother’s rifle only. 

Here we see that the same words are used, yet 
each sentence has a meaning that is quite dis- 
tinct. See alone. 

only that. Only that should be avoided in 
the sense of except that , as in “ Their home is as 
large as ours, only that ours has a larger lawn." 

onto. Onto was for a long time condemned 
by the critics, but is now winning recognition. 
There seems to be a reasonable excuse for its ex- 
istence. Thus “The cat jumped on the table" 
and “The cat jumped to the table" do not mean 
the same as “The cat jumped onto the table." 
Unfortunately the word is used loosely in many 
instances where it is unnecessary, as “ Put this 
book onto the table " or “ He pinned the medal 
onto his breast." Several authorities sanction 
on to but disapprove onto. 

open up. The expression open up is equally 
objectionable in its literal sense, as *He opened 
up a bottle of wine," and in its figurative sense 
of begin, as “ The play opens up with a quarrel.” 

operate. Operate when used with the mean- 
ing of conducting a factory has been condemned. 
The same is true of the noun operatives when 
used in the sense of workers. Thus “The new 


158 


GOOD ENGLISH 


mill began to operate to-day with over fifty opera- 
tives at the looms/’ This usage is popular in our 
industrial circles. 

opine. The use of opine for think or believe 
is an affectation of learned speech. Otherwise 
opine appears to be obsolescent. 

or. Do not use or as a correlative after 
neither, as in “ Neither money or influence could 
save him.” See either. 

oral — verbal. Oral applies to that which is 
spoken; verbal to that which is communicated 
by words, whether spoken or written. We speak 
of oral confessions, traditions, and complaints; 
we have verbal understandings or we send verbal 
messages. 

orate. Do not use the verb orate, which means 
to deliver a speech, as in “ The lawyer orated at 
great length.” 

other. Never omit other in comparisons that 
require it. “New York has a larger population 
than any city in America” implies either that 
New York* is not in America or that it has a 
larger population than its own. Therefore we say 
“ than any other city.” On the other hand, 
“London has a larger population than any city 
in America ” is correct. If we say “ John is 
taller than any boy in the class” we imply that 
John is not a member of the class. Other is fre- 


GOOD ENGLISH 


159 


quently omitted where it seems necessary, as 
“ There is no {other) city like New York.” The 
familiar expression “ There is no place like 
home” may be interpreted literally to mean that 
such a place as home does not exist. It is too 
bad that the purists did not have an opportunity 
to make this point clear to John Howard Payne. 

other, .but. Usually other, .hut is less desir- 
able than other, .than, as in “ There is no other 
way hut this.” 

ought. The verb ought has no past participle 
and therefore should not be used with an auxili- 
ary. Had ought is always wrong. 

ought — should. While ought and should are 
widely regarded as synonyms, it is well to use 
ought to express solemn duty or moral obliga- 
tion, and to reserve should for the various stages 
of mere propriety or fitness. Compare “One 
always ought to respect the wishes of others” 
or “ We ought to obey our parents ” with “ You 
should lend him the money” or “They should 
not complain about the weather.” 

out loud. Avoid the colloquial use of out loud 
for aloud, as “Do not study your lessons out 
loud .” 

out of. The use of out of is condemned in 
such cases as “ The chest is made out of walnut ” 
or “ Sausage is made out of ground meat and 


i6o 


GOOD ENGLISH 


spices.” Of is the proper word in both sentences. 
Note the popular expression “Made out of the 
whole cloth.” 

outside of. When outside is used as a prepo- 
sition, of need not follow, as “ Guards were sta- 
tioned outside (of) the palace.” Of is properly 
used when outside is a noun, as “ A heavy growth 
of ivy covered the outside of the house.” 

over — across. Do not confuse these words. 
We walk across the street, but the bird flies over 
the street. We sail across a river, but we throw 
a stone over the river. It is also better to drive 
across a bridge than over a bridge. Some crit- 
ics object to over in the sense of more than , as 
“ The mountain is over a mile high.” How- 
ever, that usage is generally accepted as good, 
over all. See all over. 

over and above. This expression is popular, 
especially in business English, as “ The manager 
guaranteed me fifteen dollars a week over and 
above my expenses.” 

over his signature. See signature, 
over with. Avoid over with in the sense of 
completed, as in “ When this task is over with I 
shall take a rest.” 

overly. The word overly should never be 
used. Thus “ I am not overly fond of the ocean ” 
or “ They are not overly careful of their speech.” 


GOOD ENGLISH 


161 


This usage prevails in Scotland as well as in 
parts of America. 

overworked phrases. See hackneyed phrases. 

own. While own properly means possess, it 
also is used in the sense of admit or confess, as 
in “ I own that I should not have spoken hastily.” 
In colloquial usage it is also heard as own up. 
Note the curious effect of “The culprit finally 
broke down and owned up” 

P 

pair — pairs. Some authorities recommend 
pair for the plural form when a number pre- 
cedes, as “three pair of gloves” or “five pair of 
shoes,” and pairs when any other word pre- 
cedes, as “ several pairs of shoes ” or “ many 
pairs of shoes.” The present tendency seems to 
be to prefer pairs in all cases. 

pants. The abbreviation pants (from panta- 
loons) is regarded as a vulgar substitute for 
trousers. Purists insist that gentlemen do not 
wear pants but that gents probably favor such 
garments. 

parenthesis. When a figure, word, or phrase 
is written (6), (home), or (so to speak), it is 
“in parenthesis,” not “in parentheses.” The 
singular parenthesis includes both symbols. It 


12 


162 


GOOD ENGLISH 


is correct to say that three parentheses are in- 
cluded in this note on parenthesis. 

part — portion. Part means something less 
than the whole; portion means share or allotted 
part. Contrast “ I shall plant corn on part of 
the field ” with “ I shall plant corn on my portion 
of the field.” 

partake. Note that partake is properly used 
in the sense of share. When you eat with others 
you partake of the meal, but when you dine alone 
you do not partake of your solitary dinner. The 
word is loosely used, however, in the sense of 
eat , whether alone or in company. 

partially. Partially seems less desirable than 
partly because of a possible confusion in mean- 
ing. The word may also mean with partiality, 
as “He acted partially in dividing the estate.” 

participial construction. See passive pro- 
gressive form. 

particle. Particle means a small part in a 
material sense. We may get a particle of dust 
in one of our eyes, or we may fail to find a 
particle of chicken in a chicken croquette. We 
should avoid the figurative use, as in “ I did not 
get a particle of sleep on the Pullman car” or 
“He does not show a particle of improvement.” 

party. Do not use party in the sense of per- 
son or individual , as “ Do you know that stout 


GOOD ENGLISH 


163 


party across the aisle?” It is properly used in 
legal phraseology, as in “The party of the first 
part agrees to the stipulated conditions.” 

passive form with object. See retained 
object. 

passive progressive form. For several gen- 
erations grammarians have debated whether we 
should say “The house is building ” or “The 
house is being built.” The first form has the 
authority of age, the second happens to be more 
popular. It seems best to recognize both forms 
and to follow accepted usage. “ Wheat is selling 
at a dollar ” is preferred to “ Wheat is being sold 
at a dollar.” On the other hand “While we 
were being taught ” is preferred to “While we 
were teaching ” which is plainly ambiguous. 
Will tradition compel us to say “The child is 
spanking ” when as a fact “The child is being 
spanked ”? This passive usage was popularized 
by Southey, Coleridge, and Lamb at the end of 
the eighteenth century and has since been fol- 
lowed by our best writers. Examples may be 
found in Newman, Ruskin, and Huxley. 

past. Some critics have condemned past when 
used in reference to time, as in “ the past three 
weeks ” or “ the past four days.” Most author- 
ities accept the usage as correct. Some also con- 


GOOD ENGLISH 


164 

demn past for by as in “ I walked past your home 
last evening.” 

patron — patronage. We are told that cus- 
tomers of a business should not be called patrons, 
and that a tradesman should solicit custom , not 
patronage. In England royalty may become 
patrons of tradesmen and in former days wealthy 
men became patrons of impecunious scholars. 
It is not likely that an American shopkeeper will 
write “We desire your custom ” when he is far 
more likely to accomplish his purpose by writing 
“ We solicit the favor of your patronage” The 
first form has the approval of the purists; the 
second usually earns substantial profits for the 
polite merchant. 

peeved. Avoid the vulgar word peeved in the 
sense of peevish or vexed, as “He was peeved 
because we refused his request.” 

pell-mell. Note that pell-mell suggests the 
confused rushing to and fro of a crowd. It 
should not be applied to one person, as in “ He 
rushed pell-mell into the street.” 

people — persons. People refers to a group 
considered as a unit, as “the people of the 
United States.” Persons draws attention to the 
individuals in a group, as “ I met many persons 
whom I knew.” We say “There were ten per- 
sons (not people ) in the audience,” but “The 


GOOD ENGLISH 1 65 

young people (not persons) of the community 
deserve our best attention.” 

per. Purists object to the use of an English 
word after the Latin per , as per day , per week, 
per month. They recommend “ He earned ten 
dollars a week’’ for per week. Per is properly 
used in per diem and per annum. In commer- 
cial letters we frequently find “as per your 
letter ” or “ as per invoice.” 

per cent. Note that per cent, may be either 
singular or plural, according to the meaning. 
Thus “ Six per cent, is the legal rate of interest,” 
but “Thirty per cent, of the inhabitants are il- 
literate.” As an abbreviation of per centum the 
form per cent, should be followed by a period. 

perfect infinitive. The perfect infinitive should 
not be used when the infinitive refers to the same 
time as the principal verb or to subsequent time. 
Thus we say “ I meant to give you the money,” 
not “ I meant to have given you the money.” 
Also “ I intended to see him yesterday,” not “ I 
intended to have seen him.” However, “ I ought 
to have gone ” is correct, because ought has no 
past form and the perfect infinitive is therefore 
necessary when we refer to the past. The per- 
fect infinitive properly refers to time prior to that 
indicated by the principal verb, as “We are 
pleased to have had the opportunity of meeting 


GOOD ENGLISH 


1 66 

them,” or “ The rose seems to have wilted in the 
sun.” 

perfect tenses. Care must be taken to use the 
proper form of strong verbs in forming the per- 
fect tenses. Distinguish between I saw and I 
have seen, I sang and I have sung, I drank and 
I have drunk . No rules will help the careless 
speaker who does not know the principal parts 
of such verbs. The distinction between the past 
tense and the present perfect tense will offer no 
difficulties if we remember that the past tense 
denotes action that is completed in past time, but 
the present perfect tense denotes action that bears 
some relation to the present, or is complete at the 
time of speaking. Contrast “ I ate my dinner 
hastily last night ” with “ I have eaten my dinner 
at this restaurant for the past week.” 

perform. It is better not to use perform in 
the sense of play in such cases as “ He performs 
very well on the violin.” 
persons. See people. 

persuade — convince. Persuade means induce ; 
convince means to satisfy by means of proof. 
A person may be persuaded to drink liquor with- 
out being convinced that he is acting wisely. 

pesky. Pesky for pestering or vexatious is an 
Americanism, as in “I wish I could catch that 
pesky fly.” 


GOOD ENGLISH 


167 


phone. Phone, which is regarded as a conve- 
nient and popular abbreviation for telephone, 
is used as a noun and as a verb. Thus “ He was 
called to the phone ” or “ He phoned to his 
brother.” Such abbreviations never threaten the 
purity of the English tongue because they are 
properly kept within the bounds of colloquial 
speech. 

piece. The expression a piece should not be 
used for a distance, as in “ We followed the left 
branch of the river for a piece.” 

placate. Placate was condemned by a recent 
British authority as an Americanism, but it has 
a well established English record. Thus “ We 
were unable to placate all those who were affected 
by this legislation/’ 

plead. Use the form pleaded not plead (rhym- 
ing with hied) in the past tense, as “ He pleaded 
eloquently for his client.” 

please find. Critics condemn please find in a 
letter because the recipient is likely to find the 
enclosure irrespective of the request. Most per- 
sons are politely redundant and say “Enclosed 
herewith please find” because it seems to be 
more gracious than “ Enclosed find.” An equally 
polite and more exact form would be “ Enclosed 
find five dollars for which please send me,” etc. 
See herewith. 


168 


GOOD ENGLISH 


please to. The expression please to is gram- 
matically correct, but is passing out of use in 
such cases as “Please to return this book 
promptly” or “Please to send a messenger at 
once/' 

pleasurable. This word is condemned by 
some authorities because of its irregular forma- 
tion. It is used freely, however, by our best 
writers. See reliable. 

plenty. Do not use plenty as an adjective, as 
in “We have plenty time to catch the train” or 
“ Have you plenty nails ? ” Avoid also the use 
of plenty for plentiful , as “ Cherries are plenty 
this year.” 

plurality. See majority. 

polite. Note that polite should not be used 
for kind in “ I accept with pleasure your polite 
invitation.” . 

ponder over. The use of ponder over has won 
its way into the language in spite of the critics. 
Thus we say “We pondered over the report for 
a long time.” It is still correct to use ponder 
without over, but this usage is growing rare. 
Poe's Raven will do more to perpetuate ponder 
over than the critics can overcome by abstract 
argument. 

poorly. Do not use poorly for ill or bad, as 
“ I am feeling poorly to-day.” 


GOOD ENGLISH 


169 


portion. See part. 

possessive case before the gerund. Note 
that possessive pronouns should be used before 
a verbal noun, as in “ There is no reason for my 
failing to pass the examination ” or “ There is 
no excuse for our calling upon him.” This rule 
applies also to nouns, as in “ The interview ended 
in his father's ordering him from the house ” or 
“ I had no expectation of Mary's winning the 
prize.” In modern usage this rule is often dis- 
regarded to the discomfiture of those critics who 
desire to parse their sentences in a conventional 
manner. Thus we find such sentences as “ The 
idea of the whole town laughing over his failure 
stung his sensitive spirit ” or “ Who spoke of our 
interest in sport being dead ? ” The best author- 
ities recognize these forms as acceptable. 

postal. The use of postal as a convenient ab- 
breviation for postal-card is regarded as collo- 
quial. There seems to be a distinction observed 
between the blank postal-card issued by the gov- 
ernment and the picture post-card which tourists 
send to their friends at home. In England 
postcard is usually the preferred form. 

posted. The use of posted in the sense of in- 
formed is condemned, as in “ He is a well posted 
man ” or “ He was posted with all the necessary 
information.” 


170 


GOOD ENGLISH 


powerful. The adjective powerful is used 
sometimes in the sense of very, as “ He seems 
powerful strong” or “ This package is powerful 
heavy.” Such vulgar usage even reaches the 
stage of “ powerful weak ” or “ powerful sick,” 
as in “ I feel powerful weak this morning.” 

practicable — practical. Practicable means 
feasible, capable of being carried out; practical 
means capable of being turned to account or not 
merely theoretical. Thus a plan may be prac- 
ticable if it is in the hands of practical men. 

predicate — predict. Predicate means to affirm 
qualities or attributes. It has no reference to 
the future, whereas predict always implies the 
future. Do not use predicate in the sense of 
base , as “His success was predicated on hard 
work.” 

prefer, .than. Avoid this construction, as in 
“ I prefer to swim than to row.” We have a fair 
choice between “ I prefer swimming to rowing ” 
or “ I would rather swim than row.” 

preposition at the end of sentence. There is 
no particular reason why a preposition should 
not be placed at the end of a sentence if it be- 
longs there. Such construction frequently re- 
sults in a loss of emphasis, but it is not ungram- 
matical. “The house in which we live” really 
sounds better than “The house which we live 


GOOD ENGLISH 


171 

in,” but there is ample warrant for such senten- 
ces as “ What are you looking for ? ” “ What 
are you quarreling about?” or “That is what I 
asked for.” 

present. Present should not be used for in- 
troduce when social equals are made acquainted 
with each other. You present a friend to a great 
man, but you introduce one friend to another. 
The younger person is introduced to the older, 
the gentleman is introduced to the lady. 

presidential. Some critics tell us that presi- 
dential is wrong and that we should say presi- 
dental. Virtually everybody prefers presidential 
and uses it. 

presumptive. Presumptive is sometimes mis- 
used for presumptuous. We may speak of pre- 
sumptive proof or an heir presumptive, but we 
more frequently speak of a presumptuous person. 

pretty. The adjective pretty is tolerated in 
the broad sense of very or fairly, as in “I am 
pretty certain to get the position,” but it should 
be used with discretion. In colloquial use it 
seems to be regarded as a less emphatic synonym 
for very, but it does not always imply limitation. 

preventative. Some authorities insist that 
there is no such word, but it seems to thrust it- 
self upon our attention at times. It is, however, 
a good word to avoid, as it is an irregularly 


172 


GOOD ENGLISH 


formed substitute for preventive and carries no 
connotation that is not suggested by the shorter 
word. 

previous. The adjective previous is often in- 
correctly used after a superlative adjective, as in 
“ His last attempt was the most successful of all 
his previous attempts.” What we mean is “ was 
more successful than his previous attempts.” 

previously. Previously is preferred to pre- 
vious when the word is used adverbially, as in 
“ We warned him previous to his departure.” It 
occurs often at the beginning of a sentence, as 
“ Previous to our departure we locked all the 
doors.” Many writers regard this adverbial use 
of previous to as correct. See relative. 

principal — principle. Purists sometimes feel 
that they have done their duty when they warn 
their readers that principal is an adjective and 
principle is a noun. As a matter of fact both 
are used as nouns; principal when it means a 
leader, a presiding officer, or money at interest, 
and principle when it means a fundamental truth 
or maxim, or more broadly any rule of conduct. 
The principal of a school inculcates principles of 
honor in his pupils. As an adjective principal 
means chief or most important. 

progressive form. See passive progressive 
form. 


GOOD ENGLISH 


173 


prominent. See eminent. 

promise. Do not use promise for assure , as 
in “I promise you that these shoes will wear 
well.” You may promise to take back the shoes 
if they do not wear well. 

pronouns, order of. Courtesy demands that 
in using personal pronouns the second person 
precedes the third person, and both second and 
third persons precede the first person. Thus 
“ You and he are permitted to go,” not “He and 
you” Also “ you and we” and “they and we” 
not “we and you ” nor “we and they ” Some 
authorities contend that in the plural the first 
person precedes the second and the second pre- 
cedes the third. This would be an awkward 
rule, especially as you is now used in both sing- 
ular and plural numbers. Thus we should have 
to distinguish between “you (one person) and 
I” and “we and you (several persons).” What 
order we are to observe in “we and you (one 
person)” seems to be doubtful. In short, the 
rule is not practicable, even if we ignore the fact 
that courtesy demands that you mention first a 
group other than one of which you happen to be 
a part. 

properly. The position of properly is impor- 
tant Compare “ This report should properly 
be printed” with “This report should be prop- 


174 


GOOD ENGLISH 


erly printed.” Instead of “A gimlet cannot be 
properly used for an awl ” write “ cannot prop- 
erly be used.” 

proposal — proposition. A proposal means an 
offer that may be accepted or rejected; a propo- 
sition is a matter that involves discussion or de- 
liberation. Thus a man makes a proposal of 
marriage, but Congress considers a proposition 
to add to our coast defense. 

propose — purpose. To propose implies to 
offer for consideration or acceptance, as “ I pro- 
pose that we take a walk.” To purpose means 
to intend, as “ I purpose taking a walk.” When 
the sanction or approval of another person is 
needed, use propose. “ I don’t propose to tolerate 
such conduct” and “I propose to dun him till 
he pays ” are both incorrect. 

proven. The use of proven for proved has 
made such headway in America in recent years 
that it seems futile to condemn it as incorrect, or 
to insist upon its restriction to the Scottish usage 
in the verdict “not proven .” It is better to use 
proved , however, and to say “We have proved 
(not proven) to you that the cause is worthy of 
your support.” 

provided. Provided is often used where if 
would be much better. Provided suggests pro- 


GOOD ENGLISH 


175 


vision or some sort of stipulation. “We shall 
give you the money, provided you spend it for 
no other purpose” is correct, but “We shall 
come, provided the weather is clear” may be 
improved by substituting if, as the person ad- 
dressed can give no assurances concerning the 
weather. 

providing. Note that providing should not 
be used for provided, as in “ You may go to the 
picnic, providing you promise me not to go in 
swimming.” 

put in mind. The familiar expression puts 
me in mind is used in the sense of recall or re- 
mind, as “That puts me in mind of a funny 
story that I wish to tell you.” 

put up. Put up is used colloquially for pro- 
vide, as “He asked his father to put up the 
money for a trip to Europe.” It also means to 
wager, as “ The gambler put up fifty dollars on 
that horsed’ We put up a tent when we erect 
it, and we put up tomatoes when we preserve 
them. We put up a visitor when we find ac- 
commodation for him, and we also put up our 
friend when we nominate him for membership 
in a club. There are various other meanings of 
put up, and we have to put up with every one of 
them. 


176 


GOOD ENGLISH 


Q 

quarter of — quarter to. Some critics go so 
far as to find fault with certain usage in telling 
time, but curiously enough, while one group con- 
demns “quarter of seven ” another is strongly 
opposed to “ quarter to seven.” Of is preferred 
by the more logical on the ground that to means 
toward and therefore “quarter to seven” is 6.15, 
not 6.45. Similarly “ twenty minutes to three” 
may be taken as 2.20 instead of 2.40. To ex- 
press 6.15 we may say either “quarter past six” 
or “ quarter after six.” 

quit. Some authorities condemn quit in the 
sense of stop , as in “Quit annoying that cat.” 
Why this generally recognized usage should fall 
under the ban is not altogether clear. 

quite. The use of quite has been condemned, 
in such instances as “ He was quite a genius ” or 
“ He owns quite a farm.” It occurs colloquially 
in “ His play had quite a run in London.” The 
word means altogether or entirely, as “ The child 
is quite cured.” In popular use it has acquired 
the meaning of very or considerably, as “ They 
were quite pleasant to us ” or “ It was quite cold 
on the river.” This usage is widespread and 
may be found in Richardson, Goldsmith, John- 
son, Burke, Gibbon, Macaulay, and Thackeray. 


GOOD ENGLISH 


177 


quite a few. The phrase quite a few is slang 
and should always be avoided. Thus “ Quite a 
few persons were there/’ The same is true of 
quite a little, as “ He has quite a little money.” 

quite so. Avoid the use of quite so to indicate 
assent, or as the equivalent of “ You are right.” 

R 

raise. Do not use raise as a noun to indicate 
increase in salary, as “ I hope to get a raise next 
month.” While rise may be theoretically accept- 
able, no one speaks of getting a “rise in salary.” 
Say “an increase in salary.” 

raise — rear. Raise in the sense of bring up 
is less desirable than rear in referring to human 
beings. Either word may be used of animals, 
but raise is proper in reference to grain and 
vegetables. 

raise — rise. Observe that raise means to 
cause to rise, to collect, to intensify ; rise means 
to move to a higher position, to increase, to 
prosper. Both words have a variety of other 
meanings, but they should not be confused. We 
raise a flag, a tumult, a price, money, troops, 
grain, the voice, the temperature of a room. The 
sun rises, a noise rises , stocks rise, and a suc- 
cessful man rises . 


13 


i 7 8 


GOOD ENGLISH 


rarely ever. Do not use rarely ever for rarely 
or rarely if ever, as in “ I rarely ever go in swim- 
ming.” Hardly ever is correct, and has the evi- 
dent approval of the Right Hon. Sir Joseph 
Porter, K. C. B., of H. M. S. “ Pinafore.” 

real. The use of real for very or very much 
is colloquial, as “It is real cold this morning” 
or “I am real pleased to see you.” 

realized. The use of realize for obtain is 
gaining ground, especially in business English, 
as “He realized four thousand dollars on his 
farm.” 

rear. See raise. 

reason, .because. Avoid the use of because 
after reason, as in “ The reason they invited me 
was because they needed another guest.” The 
sentence may be improved by writing “ They in- 
vited me because,” etc. The loose usage occurs 
in some of our careful writers. 

receipt — recipe. A list of ingredients in cook- 
ing is now called a recipe, although formerly 
receipt was widely used in that sense. A doctor 
gives a recipe for a prescription and a receipt for 
your check in payment of his bill. Some au- 
thorities still contend that we must use receipt 
for a formula in the cook-book. 

reckon. Reckon helps to give local color to 
the language of rural and southern districts in 


GOOD ENGLISH 


179 


such expressions as “ I reckon it’ll rain for a 
spell ” or “ I reckon you had a good time down 
to New York.” Such usage should be avoided. 

recollect — remember. We recollect as the 
result of an effort to recall some incident in the 
past ; we remember what is fixed in the memory. 
Thus “He could not recollect half of the inci- 
dents of the trip,” but “ I remember the details 
of our last interview.” Do not use recollect with 
of, as in “Do you recollect of his paying that 
bill ? ” Remember of is also a vulgar error, 
refer. See allude. 

relation — relative. Either word may be used 
to designate a kinsman, but relative is generally 
preferred, because of the familiar abstract mean- 
ing of relation. For example, “ His relations 
with his relatives were most cordial.” 

relative — relatively. Purists often urge us to 
discriminate between the adjective relative and 
the adverb relatively t especially in business cor- 
respondence. Thus “ I have your letter relative 
to the contract ” is correct, but “ I am writing 
relative to the contract” should be relatively . 
Relatively is correct in “ Relatively to our recent 
conversation, we call your attention to the fact,” 
etc. Most writers accept the adverbial use of 
relative to as correct. See previously, 
relative pronouns. The relative pronoun who 


l8o 


GOOD ENGLISH 


{whose, whom) should be used in reference to 
persons or intelligent domestic animals. Thus 
“ Carlo, who knew the way better than I did, 
ran ahead and barked.” Which is used for ani- 
mals, things, and abstract qualities. That may 
be used for persons as well as for lower animals, 
inanimate objects, and abstractions. See that 
and which, also whose, .of which. 

reliable. Some critical authorities still em- 
phasize the faulty formation of reliable, in spite 
of the fact that the word has the sanction of 
men like Coleridge, Newman, Mill, and Glad- 
stone. In many cases reliable and trustworthy 
are regarded as synonyms, though some would 
confine reliable to things and trustworthy to per- 
sons. Thus we may speak of a f< reliable rifle” 
but “a trustworthy guide.” It is possible, how- 
ever, to establish some distinction between a re- 
liable man, one on whose promises we may rely, 
and a trustworthy man, one who is worthy of 
confidence because of his integrity. Those who 
insist that reliable is impossible because it should 
properly be rely-up on-able are advised to purge 
their speech of such abominations as laughable 
and available. 

remit. Some purists object to remit for send, 
because its etymological equivalent is send back. 
Remit may mean to release from obligation or 


GOOD ENGLISH 


l8l 


to withdraw a demand, as “ The bank remitted 
all claim for interest due.” The use of remit 
for send is well-established in the commercial 
world, which rarely investigates the genealogical 
peculiarities of its stock words and phrases. 
“ Kindly remit at once ” or “We must have im- 
mediate remittance” are too important to be 
thrust aside on the ground of some ancestral 
taint. 

remote. See distant, 
remuneration. See compensation, 
rendition. Rendition is a somewhat preten- 
tious substitute for performance t as in “ He gave 
an excellent rendition of the Moonlight Sonata.” 
This use of the word is more common in Amer- 
ica than in England, 
rent. See lease. 

replace. Replace in the sense of succeed is 
criticized because it means to put back in place, 
as in “He replaced the dictionary on the shelf.” 
To say “ Mr. Jones replaced Mr. Smith as Presi- 
dent” is ambiguous. Did Jones succeed Smith, 
or did he, as a political leader, secure the re- 
election of Smith ? 
reply. See answer, 
reputation. See character, 
respectively. Avoid the gross error “Re- 


GOOD ENGLISH 


182 

spectively yours,” for “Respectfully yours,” in 
closing a letter. 

rest. Note that rest may be either singular 
or plural, as indicated by the meaning to be 
conveyed. Thus “ The rest of the manuscript 
is lost,” but “ The rest of the papers are lost.” 

restive — restless. Restive means impatient 
or difficult to control; in the sense of balky or 
stubborn the word is now rare. Sometimes rest- 
ive is regarded as a synonym of restless, though 
there is no etymological connection between these 
words. Unfortunately the meaning of restive 
is now so uncertain that when we speak of a 
restive horse it is impossible to decide whether 
we mean a horse that refuses to move or one 
that refuses to stand still. 

retained object. It was formerly regarded 
as proper to denounce without reserve the Eng- 
lish construction that permits a direct object to 
follow a verb in the passive voice, as in “He 
was given the position of secretary,” “ They 
were denied the right of suffrage,” or “We were 
paid ten dollars a week.” This usage occurs as 
early as the twelfth century and has flourished 
vigorously in modern times in spite of the aca- 
demic contention that “ it cannot be parsed.” 
Professor Lounsbury in his Standard of Usage 
in English (pages 182-186) quoted examples 


GOOD ENGLISH 


183 


from virtually every author of note from Spen- 
ser to Stevenson, and added: “No construction 
is more firmly established in our language than 
this. ,> It appears that the construction was good 
enough for Shakespeare, Bacon, Milton, Dryden, 
Swift, Addison, Pope, Gibbon, Burke, Johnson, 
Wordsworth, Macaulay, Eliot, Tennyson, Brown- 
ing, and Emerson, but somehow it failed to win 
the approval of Lindley Murray and Goold 
Brown — hence many critical comments in our 
treatises on good English. 

revenge. See avenge. 

reverend. A letter may be addressed to 
u Reverend Henry Smith/* but in most other 
references reverend should be preceded by the, 
as “The Reverend Henry Smith.” “ The Rev- 
erend Mr. Smith ” is permitted, but avoid “ Rev- 
erend Smith ” at all times. The abbreviation 
Rev. may be used when a long name follows, but 
ordinarily it is in better taste to write out the 
full word. If we are writing to “The Reverend 
Archibald Henderson Cunningham ” we are per- 
haps justified in using the abbreviated iormRev. 

ride. See drive. 

right. Right should be avoided in the collo- 
quial sense of very, as “ It rained right hard last 
night ” or “ He is a right smart boy.” In the 
South we hear of “ a right smart cotton crop.” 


GOOD ENGLISH 


I84 

right along. This expression is colloquial 
for continuously, as “We have been having 
stormy weather right along.” 

right, have a. Do not use the expression 
have a right when there is no right or privilege 
involved. It is correct to say “Anybody who 
pays his fare has a right to a seat,” but avoid “ A 
big boy like you has a right to behave better ” or 
“If you spread scandal you have a right to ex- 
pect serious consequences.” In such cases the 
expression is equivalent to ought or must. 

right away — right off. These expressions are 
condemned as Americanisms in the sense of at 
once, as “Til be there right away.” Compare 
also the form “I’ll be right hack” 
rise. See arise and raise, 
run. The verb run should be avoided in the 
sense of manage or conduct, as “ He runs a hotel 
in Baltimore” or “He has been running that 
store for Mr. Jones since last winter.” 

S 

sabotage. This French word is now widely 
used to designate a secret class warfare of the 
worker against the employer. The disgruntled 
artisan deliberately produces an inferior or im- 
perfect article, or he maliciously damages the 


GOOD ENGLISH 


185 

machinery of the shop in any effective way that 
will escape detection. Our dictionaries will prob- 
ably have to grant space to this rather unwel- 
come stranger. 

same. In business letters same is frequently 
used for it, as in “ Your order has been received 
and the same will have prompt attention/’ or 
“We have your remittance and thank you for 
same.” Such usage should not be encouraged. 

same as — same that. Same as indicates sim- 
ilarity of kind, but same that indicates actual 
identity. ThuS “ Her dress is made of the same 
silk as mine” implies the same kind of silk; 
“ Her dress was the same that her sister wore ” 
implies that only one dress was used. Compare 
“Jane uses the same primer as I use” and “Jane 
uses the same primer that I use.” Note that 
same is often superfluous before a clause intro- 
duced by that, as in “ She is the same girl that 
we met this morning ” and “ This is the same 
kind that we bought last week.” In such in- 
stances same sometimes makes the assertion more 
emphatic. 

same — similar. Same implies identity; sim- 
ilar implies likeness. Separate threads of silk 
of the same color may be wound on spools of 
similar appearance. Sometimes similar suggests 


1 86 


GOOD ENGLISH 


merely the idea of somewhat alike, as “ The boys 
grew up under similar conditions.” 

sanatarium — sanatorium — sanitarium. There 
are two accepted meanings for these words : ( i ) 
a place to which invalids resort for the improve- 
ment of their health; (2) an establishment for 
the treatment of convalescents. At present the 
words are used interchangeably in spite of an 
attempt to confine sanatorium to the first mean- 
ing and sanitarium to the second. Sanatarium 
is defended by some who condemn sanitarium 
as improperly derived, but sanitarium seems to 
be the preferred spelling at present. 

say. Do not use say in the sense of voice or 
vote, as “I should like to have a say in this 
matter.” 

says. Avoid the vulgar use of says I, says 
he, says she, etc., in repeating a conversation. 

scarce. Some authorities disapprove of the 
use of scarce as an adverb instead of scarcely , as 
in (e Scarce a dozen persons were present,” but 
such usage is generally recognized as acceptable. 
Its record goes back to the Elizabethan age. 

scientist. There was a time when purists ob- 
jected to scientist because of its irregular forma- 
tion, but florist, druggist, dentist, and tourist are 
also hybrids. Where shall we draw the line ? 
scrap. Scrap as a noun and as a verb is slang 


GOOD ENGLISH 187 

in the sense of quarrel or fight. It should al- 
ways be avoided. 

second-handed. The preferred form is sec- 
ond-hand, as in “This is a second-hand copy of 
the book.” 

section. Section is used colloquially in the 
sense of neighborhood, as “ We’ve had very little 
rain in this section lately.” 

seem. See appear. 

seldom or ever. This phrase is incorrectly 
used for seldom if ever, as in “ I seldom or ever 
walk along this road.” It is even heard as sel- 
dom ever. Seldom or never is also condemned 
because it is often contradictory. Thus in “ It 
seldom or never rains in Death Valley” the 
assertion is evidently uncertain. If it rains once 
in ten years, never is wrong; if it never rains, 
seldom is wrong. There are instances, of course, 
in which seldom or never may be justified, as in 
“A good man seldom or never speaks ill of 
another.” 

sense. The revival of this word as a verb 
meaning to perceive by the senses is compara- 
tively recent and is affected mainly by inferior 
poets, as in “ She slowly sensed the glowing 
* rose.” As a substitute for realize it is in re- 
stricted colloquial use in both England and Amer- 
ica, as “ He quickly sensed the situation.” 


i88 


GOOD ENGLISH 


sensual — sensuous. In modern English sen- 
suous is generally used with a favorable meaning, 
but sensual is almost always used unfavorably. 
We speak of the sensuous poetry of Keats, but 
the sensual indulgence of a vicious person. This 
distinction was not observed by earlier writers. 

sequence of tenses. Certain grammarians 
have tried to enforce an arbitrary rule for the 
sequence of tenses in complex sentences. They 
maintain that when the principal verb is in the 
past tense the subordinate verb must also be in 
the past tense. Thus “ He says that his name is 
Harry,” but “ He said that his name was Harry.” 
The only exception that is permitted is the asser- 
tion of a general or universal truth, as “ Co- 
lumbus showed that the earth is round ” or “ He 
said that Philadelphia is ninety miles from New 
York.” 'According to such ruling it would seem 
wrong to say u I met John a few minutes ago 
and he told me that his father is ill.” Our dog- 
matic critics will insist on “ He told me that his 
father was ill ” in spite of the obvious ambiguity 
as to the time of the fathers illness. The theory 
of “ the attraction of tenses,” with the incidental 
distraction of common-sense, would make it in- 
correct to say “ Margaret asked me just now 
whether her brother James is here.” A better rule 
in determining tenses is that in a complex sen- 


GOOD ENGLISH 


189 


tence each verb takes a tense appropriate to the 
time to be expressed. Thus “ I know that Mr. 
Blank sells pianos” (present knowledge of pres- 
ent action) ; “ I know that Mr. Blank sold 
pianos” (present knowledge of past action) ; “ I 
knew that Mr. Blank sold pianos” (past knowl- 
edge of past action) ; “ I know that Mr. Blank 
will sell pianos ” (present knowledge of future 
action). Like many other rules, the dictum of 
the attraction of tenses has merit, if used with 
discretion. The following examples show its 
correct application: 

I work hard that I may support myself. 

I worked hard that I might support myself. 

I shall work hard that I may support myself. 

I have worked hard that I might (or may) sup- 
port myself. 

We hope that you can join us. 

We hoped that you could join us. 

I hope that you will succeed. 

I hoped that you would succeed. 

set — sit. Much confusion attends the use of 
these verbs. A person sits on a chair. A farmer 
sets a hen and the hen sits on the eggs. She is 
as much a sitting hen as the man on the chair is 
a sitting man. She is not a setting hen under 
any circumstances. The farmer was a setting 
farmer while he caused the hen to sit. The eggs 


190 


GOOD ENGLISH 


on which she sits may be called either a setting 
or a sitting of eggs. From the farmer’s point of 
view they are a setting ; from the hen’s point of 
view, if she has any, they are a sitting. The 
setting hen is so firmly impressed on the minds 
of most Americans that it will be difficult to give 
her due credit for what she is doing. It is true 
that set is usually transitive, but note that the 
sun, moon, and stars set on occasion. Colloqui- 
ally we hear sit used where stand is considered 
orthodox, as “ The glass sits on the table ” or 
“ The clock sits on the shelf.” 

settle. Do not use settle for pay, as “He 
promised to settle the bill next week.” Quarrels 
and disputes are settled , and a misunderstanding 
concerning the amount of a bill may be settled, 
but the bill itself is paid. Avoid the use of 
settle up, as in “ He settled up his brother’s af- 
fairs promptly.” 

shall — will. Much of the uncertainty that 
pertains to the use of shall and will , especially 
in America, is due to the incorrect teaching of 
the verbal forms in the lower grades of our 
schools. A child is often taught to recite the 
paradigm for the future tense as “ I shall or will 
love.” Naturally the pupil takes it for granted 
that the words are interchangeable and thus fails 
to note that shall and will have distinct mean- 


GOOD ENGLISH 


I 9 I 

ings. Some grammarians have gone to extremes 
in their efforts to indicate all the niceties of 
meaning that are possible in a careful discrimi- 
nation between the auxiliaries. For all practical 
purposes the following distinctions will suffice. 

(1) To express mere futurity — that which is 
to happen — use these forms : 

I shall go we shall go 

you will go you will go 

he will go they will go 

In the interrogative form note that there is a 
shift from will to shall in the second person: 


shall I go? 
shall you go? 
will he go? 


shall we go? 
shall you go? 
will they go? 


(2) To indicate determination, promise, 
threat, or command on the part of the speaker 
use these forms : 


I will go we will go 

you shall go you shall go 

he shall go they shall go 

In the interrogative form “ will I ? ” and " will 
we?” are not used, because they virtually ask 


192 


GOOD ENGLISH 


some one else concerning our own intentions. 
Thus “ Will I go ? ” practically means “ Can you 
tell me if I intend to go?” The plural inter- 
rogative may be used in the first person as fol- 
lows: “We will approve his action, will we 
not?” but it must not be used as “ Will we ap- 
prove his action?” The correct form is “Shall 
we approve his action ? ” 

In the second person the interrogative form is 
properly “will you?” and indicates willingness 
or determination on the part of the person ad- 
dressed. Thus “Will you lend me a dollar?” 
or “Will you have some more pudding?” 

In the third person the interrogative forms 
“shall he?” and “shall they?” imply command, 
intention, or determination on the part of the 
person addressed and concerning the person or 
thing mentioned. Thus “ Shall James go to town 
this morning?” means “ Is it your desire or com- 
mand that James go to town?” Again, “Shall 
the salute be fired ? ” means “ Do you intend to 
order or provide for the salute?” 

From these illustrations we note that the 
meaning of a sentence varies largely with the 
auxiliary used. Even in the first person of the 
interrogative form, where “shall I?” is always 
used, we can usually distinguish mere futurity 
from command or volition. Contrast “Shall I 


GOOD ENGLISH 


193 


have time to catch the train ?” (futurity) with 
“Shall I get you that book at once?” (implied 
command). 

In a clause introduced by that it is proper to 
use the auxiliary that one would use if the clause 
were independent, as “ I know that we shall not 
be able to go,” or “She says that she will go 
with us.” In all other subordinate clauses shall 
is used in all persons to denote mere futurity, 
and will is used regularly to denote determina- 
tion or willingness. Thus “If it shall appear 
that he spoke hastily, he must apologize” or “If 
you will go, we will join you.” 

Those who are sufficiently interested in the 
matter of shall and will to care to study it in 
greater detail should consult Dr. Gerald Molloy’s 
treatise, The Irish Difficulty — Shall and Will, 
which devotes two hundred pages to the subject. 

should — would. The auxiliaries should and 
would are past forms of shall and will, and in 
general they follow the same rules. To express 
conditional futurity we say “ I should be sorry 
to see you leave” or “ I suppose she would go if 
she had time.” On the other hand “ I would 
never consent to that plan” expresses resolu- 
tion, and “ We would lend you the money if we 
were able ” expresses willingness. Should is 
also used to express obligation or propriety, as 


14 


194 


GOOD ENGLISH 


“ We should answer all letters promptly ” ; “ You 
should apologize at once”; “They should be 
ashamed of their behavior.” Note that should 
is thus used in all persons, and that it is not as 
strong as ought , which implies moral obligation, 
as “ We ought to respect our parents ” or “ The 
Sabbath ought to be observed by all.” Would 
also has a special use in all persons to indicate 
habitual action or custom, as “When I lived in 
the country I would take a long walk daily,” or 
“James would go to the library and read for 
hours.” Would may also be used to express a 
wish, as “ Would that I had his opportunities” 
or “ Would that they were here.” See ought. 

should seem — would seem. “ It should seem ” 
and “ it would seem ” are used as softer or less 
emphatic forms of “ It seems to me ” or “ I 
think,” as “ It should seem that this work could 
be finished more cheaply” or “It would seem 
that you are unfamiliar with the facts.” Woidd 
seem is much more frequently used than should 
seem. “ It would appear ” is also used. 

show. Show in the sense of chance is slang, 
as “ I had no show at all ” or “ Why don’t you 
give him a show?” 

sic. The Latin word sic in brackets or paren- 
thesis is often used to draw attention to some 
peculiarity or error in the preceding word or 


GOOD ENGLISH 


J 95 


phrase, which is quoted exactly as written. Thus 
“ My son wrote from school ‘ We are reading 
McCauley’s (sic) essays and I like them very 
much/” Compare “Mr. (sic) Geo. Washington, 
leader of the rebels (sic), ordered the retreat.” 
Some critics object to sic , and recommend “( !)” 
or some comment in parenthesis, such as “(note 
spelling),” “ (observe the term),” etc. 

sick. In England sick and ill are not gen- 
erally regarded as synonyms. Sick means nau- 
seated, whereas ill covers other complaints. This 
British distinction is, however, comparatively 
recent and by no means general. English liter- 
ature of almost all periods affords good examples 
of sick used broadly to indicate illness of any 
kind. 

sickly. Sickly , in the sense of producing sick- 
ness, is sometimes condemned, as “ The house has 
a sickly location” or “The town has a sickly 
climate,” but there is ample warrant for such 
usage. 

sideways — sidewise. These words are synon- 
ymous and are both in good standing. There 
is a variant sideway, which is also acceptable. 

sight. Sight , though once in good use in the 
sense of a great many, is now colloquial, as “A 
sight of -soldiers marched down the street” or 
“ You should see the sight of fish they caught.” 


196 


GOOD ENGLISH 


signature. Scholars have debated the ques- 
tion whether a man writes over his signature or 
under his signature. Those who condemn over 
point out that a man does not write his signature 
and then place his communication over it. Those 
who favor over maintain that he certainly writes 
nothing under his signature, barring a possible 
postscript, which is itself a confession of his 
failure to write the letter properly. Under his 
signature is generally preferred, however, on the 
ground that the phrase means “ under the sanc- 
tion of his signature.” Compare “ under date 
of” and “given under my hand and seal.” 
similar. See same, 
sit. See set. 

site — situation. Site means the exact spot; 
situation includes the surroundings and the gen- 
eral location. A man may choose a good situation 
for his home, yet select a bad site on the property 
for his house, 
slow. See go slow. 

smart. Smart in the sense of intelligent or 
bright is denounced as an Americanism, as in 
“James is a smart boy” or “He is the smartest 
pupil in the class.” The use of smart for con- 
siderable is vulgar, as “We walked a smart dis- 
tance during the morning.” Smart in the sense 
of well-dressed or spruce is popular in England. 


GOOD ENGLISH 


197 


so. Whenever so is used for very it is likely 
to be colloquial, as “ I am so glad you called ” or 
“ I was so sick last night.” Its proper meaning 
of “to such a degree” is brought out when a 
clause follows to complete the sense, as “ I am 
so glad that I can hardly await your visit ” or “ I 
was so sick that I was unable to go.” - Note how 
these sentences differ from the others. See as. 

sociable. Sociable is frequently misused for 
social , as “a sociable gathering/’ The persons 
assembled at a social gathering should be so- 
ciable , but one unsociable person may spoil the 
pleasure of the social group, 
so far as. See as far as. 
solitary. See lonely. 

some. Note that some should not be used for 
somewhat, as “I have traveled some ” or “I 
flattered him some and he finally agreed to my 
plan/’ Some in the sense of about is occasionally 
condemned, but is widely accepted as correct, as 
“We have some fifty copies of the book left.” 
There is ample literary warrant for that usage. 
Some occurs in recent slang as an adjective mean- 
ing excellent or noteworthy, as “ He is some vio- 
linist ” or “ That is some football playing.” Such 
usage is hopelessly bad. See going some, 
somebody else. See else, 
some few. The expression some few has 


198 


GOOD ENGLISH 


been criticized by certain purists in spite of its 
idiomatic character and its record that goes back 
to the Elizabethan Age. 

some means or another. Avoid this phrase 
at all times. The correct forms are “by one 
means or another” or “ by some means or other” 
something. Something should not be used 
for somewhat in such cases as “ The sisters look 
something alike/’ This usage occurs, however, 
in such writers as Shakespeare, Goldsmith, Burke, 
and Tennyson, 
sometime. See ex-. 

somewheres. The form somewheres should 
be avoided, as in “ I read somewheres that the 
sun is merely a star.” Say somezvhere. 

soon — sooner. The use of soon and sooner 
to indicate preference has been condemned, as “ I 
would as soon eat as sleep ” or * I would sooner 
walk than ride.” Some purists insist on “ I 
would as lief ” or “ I would rather,” but other 
critics defend this use of soon and sooner , inas- 
much as it is found extensively in our best litera- 
ture. 

sort. Sort is singular and should not be pre- 
ceded by these or those , as “ these sort of gloves ” 
and “ those sort of animals.” Say this sort and 
that sort. Let it be noted in passing that those 


GOOD ENGLISH 


1 99 


sort enjoys the sanction of Trollope and Miss 
Marie Corelli. See kind. 

sort of a. Grammarians object to a superflu- 
ous a after sort of and kind of, as in “What 
kind of (a) bird is that?” or “What sort of (a) 
book do you wish?” Violations of this dictum 
are very common. 

speak to— speak with. We speak to another 
person when we address that person; we speak 
with another person when we converse with him. 
The chaplain speaks to the prisoners when he 
urges them to mend their ways; we speak with 
our friends when we gather in social groups, 
spectators. See audience. 
spelL Spell is colloquial when it means a 
period of time, as “ He walked a spell and then 
he stopped a spell ” or “ I am going to stay with 
my aunt for a spell .” It is correctly used as a 
noun to indicate an exchange of work and rest in 
assigned duty. 

spend. Some critics condemn spend for pass, 
as “Where did you spend the summer?” This 
usage is good idiomatic English. 

split infinitive. For several generations we 
have been warned not to split our infinitives, yet 
we have never ascertained that inevitable harm 
resulted from that process. Just what is wrong 
about such expressions as “ to really understand 


200 


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the matter ” or “ to fully appreciate my position ” 
has not been made clear. It is true that in most 
cases it is undesirable to split an infinitive, but 
the deed is not essentially atrocious. We do not 
encourage the formation of such sentences as 
“ It is proper to faithfully study our lessons ” or 
“ We found it necessary to very promptly return 
to the shore.” On the other hand, there are 
instances in which the insertion of an adverb or 
phrase between to and the verb is justified, as in 
“ The funds on hand are estimated to more than 
meet all demands that may be made.” 
spoonful. See -ful. 

square. In some 'American cities the word 
square is used for block , as in “He lives three 
squares from our home.” This usage is likely 
to prevail wherever the blocks really are squares. 

stand a chance. This expression is colloquial 
for have a chance , as “Do you believe that he 
stands a chance of being elected?” 

stand for. Some critics condemn stand for in 
the sense of tolerate or approve, as “We will not 
stand for such treatment.” It is properly used in 
such sentences as “ LL.D. stands for Doctor of 
Laws.” 

standpoint. Purists have denounced stand- 
point when used for point of view, but the word 
has been growing in favor during recent years. 


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201 


Modern dictionaries admit it without comment, 
start. See begin. 

start out. It is better to omit out in “He 
started out to make his fortune.” In England 
start out is condemned as an Americanism. 

state. The verb state is loosely used instead 
of say or remark, as “ He stated that he was ill ” 
or “ They stated that they were going to Boston.” 
State properly implies some formality or detail 
in an utterance. It is correctly used in “The 
cashier stated that the overdraft had been paid ” 
or in “ The president will state the facts as they 
were presented to the directors.” 

stationary — stationery. The adjective sta- 
tionary, meaning at rest, must be distinguished 
from the noun stationery, which means writing 
materials. 

stay — stop. We commonly hear “We are 
stopping at this hotel” or “We expect to stop in 
Pittsburgh over night.” In both cases stay is 
preferred. Avoid stop in as used in “ Why don’t 
you stop in and see me?” 

street, in or on. See in a street, 
stricken — struck. At present struck is more 
widely used than stricken, but in certain mean- 
ings stricken is almost imperative. Thus “The 
unfortunate man was stricken with paralysis” or 
“ The society voted that the second article should 


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be stricken from the rules.” Stricken as an ad- 
jective carries the implication of misfortune, as 
“ a stricken man ” or “ the stricken deer.’’ Note 
however, that a barn is struck , not stricken, by 
lightning. 

strike. Certain phrases containing the verb 
strike are colloquial and should be avoided. Thus 
“ to strike a lead ” and “ to strike oil ” mean to be 
successful; “ to strike on’’ is used in the sense of 
discover; “ to strike for ” means to start quickly 
for; “to strike up” is used for make in “to 
strike up an acquaintance.” Do not use strike in 
the sense of borrow or importune , as “ He struck 
me for five dollars.” This ambiguous sentence 
seeks to convey the idea that he tried to borrow 
five dollars, not that some one paid him that 
amount for assaulting the speaker. 

stunning. In various uses the word stunning 
is slang, as in “ We admired her stunning dress ” 
or “Your friend has stunning manners.” A 
British equivalent is ripping, which is also used to 
some extent in America, as “ We caught a ripping 
big salmon.” 

subjunctive mode. In modern English the 
subjunctive mode has lost much of its earlier 
significance and in almost all of its specific uses 
it has given way to the familiar indicative form. 
Persons of literary training still use the present 


GOOD ENGLISH 


203 


subjunctive mode in such instances as “If I be 
not mistaken, you now live in Rome ” or “ I shall 
call on the chairman, if he be ready, to make his 
report.” In general use the subjunctive mode is 
now virtually confined to the expression of uncer- 
tainty, doubt, or a condition contrary to fact, as 
“ If I were to go, I should get ready at once” or 
“If I were you, I should pay that bill.” Note 
also “ That coin sounds as if it were counterfeit” 
and “ I wish it were in my power to aid you.” 
Observe that in all these sentences were has a 
singular subject and refers to present time, al- 
though the form is strictly that of the past tense. 
The following examples will serve to illustrate 
the correct use of the subjunctive with other 
verbs: “If it turn out as we hope we shall all be 
wealthy,” and “If she keep silent she need fear 
nobody,” and “ A liar will not be believed, though 
he tell the truth.” In such cases most persons 
will now use the familiar indicative forms turns, 
keeps , and tells. 

subsequent to. Note that subsequent to is 
criticized when used for subsequently to, as in 
“ Subsequent to his return, the facts were made 
known.” Many authorities accept this adverbial 
usage as correct. See previously. 

succeed himself. Critics object to this pop- 
ular phrase when used to express the idea of being 


204 


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elected for another term. They tell us that an 
officer who is re-elected or re-appointed cannot 
succeed himself. 

success. Avoid “a success ” when successful 
should be used, as “ His invention was a success” 

such a. The familiar expression such a is 
condemned when such is used as an adverb to 
qualify an adjective that follows, as “ I never 
spent such an unpleasant night ” or “ I never saw 
such a beautiful hat.” We are permitted to say 
" such a night” or “such a hat,” but the purists 
insist on “ so unpleasant a night ” and “ so beauti- 
ful a hat.” If a clause of consequence follows 
the ban is lifted. Thus “ I spent such an un- 
pleasant night that I left the hotel the next day ” 
and “That is such a beautiful hat that I doubt 
if Caroline trimmed it herself” are both con- 
sidered correct. 

such another. Avoid such another for another 
such. Thus “Another such (not such another) 
victory and all is lost.” Readers of Longfellow 
will recall that the armored skeleton did not ex- 
pect the sun to rise “ On such another ” but then 
the skeleton was under the constraint of rhyth- 
mic speech and, moreover, a skeleton’s English 
should be treated with some indulgence. 

such like. Such like is generally condemned 


GOOD ENGLISH 


205 


when used for the like , as “ Do not devote your 
time to balls, parties, concerts, and such like 
such, .which. Avoid the use of such, .which 
for such.. as. Thus “Such books which are 
worn out should be thrown aside” is wrong, 
sudden. See all of a sudden, 
suffragette. An English critic objects to suf- 
fragette (which literally means a little vote) to 
indicate a person who advocates female suffrage. 
The word suffragist is recommended. It may be 
applied to men and women alike, and is free 
from the facetious implications of suffragette. 
“ Mr. Jay declares that he is a male suffragette ” 
is not unknown to our newspapers. Apparently 
Mr. Jay had to demonstrate his sex as well as his 
views on the extension of the ballot. 

suicide. Do not use suicide as a verb, as in 
“ The prisoner suicided in his cell.” Let us not 
encourage modern Hamlets to debate the ques- 
tion, “To suicide or not to suicide” 

summonsed. Note that summonsed is im- 
properly formed from the noun summons. “ He 
was summonsed to appear in court” is wrong. 
Always say summoned. 

sure. Avoid the use of sure for an emphatic 
assent. Thus Will you not join us?’ ( Sure I 
will.’” 

suspect. Suspect implies suspicion, not anti- 


206 


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cipation. It must not be confused with expect. 
“ Most of his friends suspect his motives ” is cor- 
rect, but “I suspect that they will arrive this 
morning ” is wrong. 

suspicion. Do not use suspicion as a verb. 
“Do they suspicion anybody?” and “We sus- 
picioned him from the first” are both wrong. 
The proper word is suspect. 

sustain. Sustain seems to be an important 
verb in journalistic English. An actor sustains 
his classic part so badly that the audience sus- 
tains a severe shock. He is pelted with eggs, 
but fortunately he sustains no serious injuries. 
A business man sustains heavy losses, or a sen- 
sitive person sustains a blow to his pride. In 
our newspapers we still read that “ Mr. Blank 
fell from the roof and sustained a broken arm.” 
It is even possible for Blank to be killed by 
“ sustaining a broken neck.” 

sweet. Sweet has become a familiar word to 
express almost any agreeable quality or trait. A 
sweet girl has a sweet face, sweet manners, and 
a sweet disposition. She wears sweet dresses 
and sweet hats. She sings sweet music and plays 
sweetly on the piano. In fact, the very atmos- 
phere is saccharine. 

swell. Avoid swell in the sense of fashion- 
able , as “His dinner was a swell affair” or “We 


GOOD ENGLISH 


207 


had a swell dance at the club.” The word is 
more vaguely used in “ They had a swell time ” 
or “ The orchestra played swell music.” The 
equivalent noun swell should also be avoided ex- 
cept in clearly facetious references, as “Beau 
Brummell was the ideal of the swells of his day.” 

T 

take. Some authorities condemn the familiar 
use of take for have, as in “ Will you take some 
beef” or “We take dinner at seven o'clock.” 
Note, however, that “Do you take cream in your 
coffee ? ” is not synonymous with “ Will you have 
cream in your coffee?” Take is also used 
loosely in “How much will you take ( charge ) 
to row me across the lake?” and in “This road 
takes you {leads) to Boston.” Take sick is 
generally condemned. Take on for scold is 
vulgar, as “ She took on dreadfully when the 
maid broke the vase.” 

talented. The word talented was condemned 
by Coleridge and generally denounced by pur- 
ists because it is a verbal form built from a noun, 
yet it has a good record and enjoys the favor of 
our best writers. If talented is objectionable, 
what are we to do with crabbed, honeyed, bigoted, 
cultured, whiskered, anguished, gifted, booted, 
landed, and unprincipled t 


208 


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tasty. Tasty should not be used for tasteful, 
as “ This minced ham is very tasty ” or “ That 
is a tasty piece of furniture.” Avoid also tastily 
for tastefully. 

team. Team refers properly to a pair of 
horses, but does not include the carriage to which 
they are harnessed. Do not say “We hired a 
horse and team for a drive over the mountain.” 
telling time. See quarter of. 
tense. See sequence of tenses, 
than. Care should be taken to use the pro- 
nouns properly after than. Do not use than me 
for than I, than him for than he, than them for 
than they. Thus “ He is taller than me,” “ I am 
stronger than him ,” and “We are happier than 
them ” are all ungrammatical, although some 
British authorities have favored the use of than 
me. Note the difference between “ I like you 
better than she ” and “ I like you better than her.” 
If we expand these sentences to the full form 
we have “ I like you better than she (likes you) ” 
and “I like you better than (I like) her.” See 
different. 

than whom. The earlier grammarians wasted 
much time in an attempt to account for than 
whom, which occurs in Shakespeare, Milton, 
Pope, Johnson, Byron, Landor, and Thackeray, 
as well as in many recent writers of standing. 


GOOD ENGLISH 


209 


Most critics reluctantly admitted that it must 
be accepted as correct in spite of their inability 
to “ parse ” it. Recent authorities believe that 
than whom is quite as readily parsed as without 
him. A preposition is a preposition, even when 
it is spelled than. Compare the colloquial form 
outside of whom. 

thank. Thank is loosely used and is often 
sarcastic in such cases as “ I will thank you not 
to touch that paper again.” It is better to say 
“Kindly do not touch that paper again.” 

that. The relative pronoun that is preferred 
to who or which in the following instances: 

( 1 ) When the antecedents include persons and 
animals or things, as “ I saw three men and two 
dogs that were shivering in the station.” 

(2) After same, very, all, as “He did all that 
was expected of him,” “ It was the very book 
that I wanted,” and “ He had the same bat that 
I used.” 

(3) After the interrogative who, as “Who is 
it that calls?” 

(4) After adjectives in the superlative degree, 
as “This is the largest lake that was mentioned 
in the guide-book.” 

(5) When the clause is restrictive, as “This 
is the book that I mentioned to you yesterday.” 
In many instances it seems desirable to omit the 

is 


210 


GOOD ENGLISH 


relative pronoun, as in “ These are the only books 
we need consult ” or “ This is the picture I spoke 
of yesterday.” 

that much. Avoid the use of that much for 
so much , as in “ He wanted ten dollars for his 
camera, but I would not give that much for it.” 

that of. That of is awkwardly used in such 
instances as “ Among the professions he regarded 
that of medicine as most exacting.” Both words 
should be omitted. 

that — so. Do not use that in the sense of so, 
as “ After missing the last train I was that angry 
I could have cried.” 

that there. The phrase that there is vulgar, 
and this here is quite as bad. Thus “ That there 
man is a manufacturer ” and “ What shall I do 
with this here barrel?” are both objectionable. 

the one. .the other. When these expressions 
are used there is sometimes confusion as to 
whether the one means the first mentioned or 
the last mentioned, as in “ Mary sent letters to 
both Jack and Harry, accepting the invitation of 
the one and declining that of the other.” In gen- 
eral it is safe to assume that the one refers to the 
first mentioned and the other to the second, but in 
view of possible ambiguity it is well to avoid the 
construction. 

the same. Avoid the use of the same as a 


GOOD ENGLISH 


2 1 1 


substitute for a preceding word or its proper pro- 
noun, as in “ They suspected the honesty of the 
judges and decided to investigate the same.” 

the two. Note that the two should not be 
used for both , as in “ The carriage is not large 
enough for the two of them/’ 

them. Avoid the vulgar use of them for these 
or those, as “I must return them books to the 
library.” 

then. Then has been condemned when used 
as an adjective in the sense of at that time, as 
“ the then Mayor of New York.” It is a very 
convenient locution, and has the authority of 
Addison, Johnson, and Burke, as well as the ap- 
proval of many more recent writers. Johnson 
wrote “ in his then situation,” and Burke refers 
to “ the King’s then ministers.” Modern Eng- 
lish has drafted other adverbs into service as ad- 
jectives. Compare “ the off- wheel,” “the down 
mail,” and “ the inside passenger.” 

then some. This expression appears in recent 
slang in the sense of still more , as “ He is worth 
a million and then some,” or “ He spends all he 
earns and then some.” 

thence. Thence should not be preceded by 
from as in “From thence they went to London.” 
Thence is equivalent to from there and thus in- 
cludes the implication of from. From thence is, 


212 


GOOD ENGLISH 


however, very common even in our best writers. 

there is — there are. When there is used to 
introduce a sentence in which the actual subject 
follows 'the verb occasional difficulties arise in 
deciding whether the verb should be singular or 
plural. Usage is not definite in such cases. 
Shakespeare frequently used there is and there 
was with following plurals, as in “ There is tears 
for his love,” etc., but such usage is now avoided. 
Attraction plays some part in the matter, as when 
we say “There is fishing and boating.” Note 
also that we are likely to say “ There is a hen and 
her chickens in the yard,” but “ There are some 
chickens and a hen in the yard.” Compare 
“ There is an apple, two pears, and three peaches 
in the basket” with “There are three peaches, 
two pears, and an apple in the basket.” An 
amount of money is usually, expressed in the 
singular form, as “ There is ten dollars to pay the 
doctor’s bill ” or “ There is fifty cents in the 
purse/’ 

therefor— therefore. Do not confuse the 
words therefor (which is equivalent to for this or 
for that ) and therefore (which means “ for this 
or that reason ”) . Thus “ a plating outfit and all 
the materials needed therefor ” but “ I am ill, 
therefore I cannot join you.” Therefor is rarely 


GOOD ENGLISH 


213 


used except in formal writings such as legal 
documents. 

these kind — these sort. See kind and sort, 
they. Avoid the indefinite use of they, as in 
“ They treat you well at the Globe Hotel ” or 
“ They sell stamps here.” We even find such 
locutions as “ They don’t have tigers in Mexico” 
for “ Tigers are not found in Mexico” 
think for. Note that think for is colloquial in 
“ She is older than you think for Omit for. 

thinks I. Thinks I is vulgar for thought I in 
such cases as “ He’ll be coming back this way, 
thinks I, and I’ll tell him then.” See says. 

this. Do not use this as an adverb, as in 
“Have you ever seen pineapples that were this 
large?” 

this here. See that there, 
this much. The expression this much has been 
condemned by certain authorities, as in “ This 
much I can truly say for him — he is honest and 
industrious.” See that much. 

thon. The coined word thon is a contraction 
of that one, and was suggested about 1858 as a 
pronoun of common gender in the third person, 
singular number. There can be no doubt as to 
the practical value of such a word. For example : 
“ Either Mr. Jones or his wife will arrive on the 
next train, and I am going to the station to meet 


214 


GOOD ENGLISH 


thon ( him or her)”; “Every child should obey 
thoris ( his or her) parents “Every boy and 
girl should study thoris ( his or her) lessons well, 
as thon ( he or she) who ranks highest will re- 
ceive a prize.” However, we do not take kindly 
to invented words of this character and thon has 
failed to win favor. 

thought to myself. H moment’s reflection 
should suffice to show how absurd it is to say “ I 
thought to myself ” Other methods of thought 
have not yet made much progress, but we are told 
that “ I thought to myself ” is idiomatic. 

through. The use of through for finished is 
undesirable, whether we refer to a dinner or to 
an address. Thus “ I am through eating ” or 
“We shall leave as soon as the speakers are 
through ” This use of through is regarded as 
an Americanism. 

thusly. Thusly should not be used for thus, 
as in “ Were I in your place, I should act thusly.” 
The word should be reserved for our humorists. 

till — until. These words are interchangeable. 
There is no valid excuse for establishing any dis- 
tinction between them. 

time to come. The phrase time to come is 
generally condemned, as “We expect to stay in 
New York for some time to come” Omit the 
last two words. 


GOOD ENGLISH 


215 


tireless. Tireless was formerly condemned by 
etymologists who insisted that less could be ap- 
pended to nouns only. Such critics were wrong 
in the assertion of the general principle and in its 
particular application to this word. Tireless is 
good English. 

to. To has been criticized as incorrectly used 
for at in “I have been to Bay View” on the 
ground that one cannot be to a place. Such usage 
is usually accepted as idiomatic. Observe that to 
is unnecessary in such sentences as “ Where are 
you going to ?” or “Where have you been to?” 

to a degree. The phrase to a degree is ob- 
jectionable because it is indefinite. Thus “He 
was indolent to a degree” may mean any degree 
of indolence.” 

toastmistress. Call her a toastmaster. It is 
unnecessary to emphasize sex in such a matter. 
See chairwoman. 

to-day, to-morrow, to-night. These words 
may be written without a hyphen, but the form 
with the hyphen is more widely used in each 
instance. 

together. Note that together is usually re- 
dundant after talk, correspond, converse, unite, 
and similar words. Thus “We have conversed 
together all afternoon” or “We are united 
together for a common purpose.” The marriage- 


2l6 


GOOD ENGLISH 


service has given “ joined together” a sanction 
that is not shared by the other words mentioned 
above. 

to home. To home is vulgar for at home , as 
in “Is your father to home?” Those who use 
to home usually pronounce it tu hum . 

to-morrow is or will be. Much effort has 
been wasted in the attempt to determine whether 
we should say “To-morrow is Sunday” or “To- 
morrow will be Sunday.” There is a possible de- 
fense for either form and a neat distinction be- 
tween them. If we wish to emphasize the idea 
that Sunday is the coming day, we should say 
“To-morrow is Sunday” just as we would say 
“The day after Sunday is Monday.” But we 
generally refer to the passing of time without par- 
ticular reference to the name of the day. There- 
fore in most cases we would say “ To-morrow will 
be Sunday,” just as we would say “To-day is 
Saturday and yesterday was Friday.” Note also 
that in the interrogative form we prefer to say 
“ What day is to-morrow ? ” 

too. Too should not be used immediately be- 
fore a participle used as an adjective, as in “He 
was too engaged to notice our approach” or 
“They were too astonished to reply.” Insert 
much after too. Before ordinary adjectives too 


GOOD ENGLISH 


217 


is properly used, as “ It is too dark to read ” or 
“ They were too lazy to reply.” 

tote. T ote is provincial for carry and is heard 
most commonly in the South. Thus “A few 
days more to tote the weary load.” 

transpire. Transpire in the sense of happen is 
generally criticized, as “ These events transpired 
during his absence.” It is now properly used in 
the sense of leak out or become known, as “ Dur- 
ing the trial it transpired that he had been 
convicted previously.” Even that metaphorical 
meaning was once questioned, as the word liter- 
ally means to breathe through or perspire. The 
dictionaries still recognize transpire in the sense 
of perspire as correct, but few of us are tempted 
to say “ The heat caused me to transpire freely.” 

trouble. Trouble is used loosely for trouble 
yourself or take the trouble, as “ Do not trouble 
to get that book now.” 

trump. In card-playing should we say hearts 
is or are trump ? In older usage we find a dis- 
tinction between “ Hearts is trump ” and “ Hearts 
are trump,” but now the plural form seems to be 
preferred in all cases. 

try. Try as a noun is found in Shakespeare 
and in later writers, but is generally disapproved. 
Thus in modern slang, “ I should like to have a 
try at it.” 


2l8 


GOOD ENGLISH 


try an experiment. Critics tell us that we 
make an experiment, but we do not try an ex- 
periment, which is equivalent to try a trial. The 
expression is well established in our physicaTand 
chemical laboratories and in our text-books. 

try and. Avoid try and for try to, as in “ I 
shall try and do it,” or “ They will try and oblige 
you if possible.” Certain liberal authorities per- 
mit the use of try and, which they regard as an 
acceptable idiom. See and. 

try as we will. In most instances try as we 
may is better than try as we will. Thus “Try 
as we will, we cannot succeed” is improved by 
the use of may. 

turn down. Avoid the use of turn down for 
reject or refuse, as in “ I applied for the position 
but I was turned down.” 

two and two is (are) four. There has been 
much ingenious speculation as to whether we 
should say “ Two and two is four ” or " are four.” 
Of course, two units taken twice are four units, 
but the number two taken twice is the number 
four. There is no fixed rule to normalize our 
practice, but the following forms are preferred: 
two and two are (not is) four, 
two times two is (not are) four, 
two plus two is four, 
two less two is zero. 


GOOD ENGLISH 


219 


one half of two is one. 
two divided by two is one. 
twice two is four, 
two last. See last two. 
typist. This word is used in England to in- 
dicate the person who operates a typewriter. It 
has the advantage of brevity, and likewise makes 
a distinction between the operator and the ma- 
chine. The verb type is now extensively used 
for typewrite, as “ Miss Smith, kindly type this 
letter at once,” but this usage should not be en- 
couraged. 

U 

ugly. Ugly is misused in various ways. It 
properly means unsightly or hideous, as “ an ugly 
design” or “an ugly toad.” It is used figur- 
atively in “ugly crimes” and “ugly charges.” 
In the sense of ill-natured or quarrelsome it is 
colloquial, as “ an ugly disposition ” or “ an ugly 
temper.” Such uses as “an ugly ( disagreeable ) 
customer” or “an ugly ( serious ) wound” are 
sometimes condemned. 

unbeknown. Unbeknown is a vulgar sub- 
stitute for unknown. It also exists in the form 
unbeknownst, as “They did it unbeknownst to 
me.” 

under. The use of under for fewer than or 


220 


GOOD ENGLISH 


less than is condemned by some critics, as “ There 
were under twenty persons present ” or “ It 
weighs under a pound.’' There is ample author- 
ity for the use of under in this sense, 
under his signature. See signature, 
under the weather. This expression is slang 
for ill, as in “ I am under the weather this morn- 
ing.” It is also used loosely to mean financially 
embarrassed, as “ That railroad has been under 
the weather for several years.” 

underhanded. This is an incorrect form of 
underhand, as in “ He played an underhanded 
trick on me yesterday.” 
uninterested. See disinterested, 
unique. Note that unique properly implies the 
one of its kind. If only one copy of a book 
exists that copy is unique. The word is fre- 
quently used to describe that which is rare, un- 
usual, or unfamiliar, as “ a unique ceremony ” or 
“ a unique costume.” It seems impossible to re- 
strict the use of this adjective to its specific 
meaning. 

United States is (are). As the name United 
States designates an individual nation it is prop- 
erly used in the singular. A plural verb is per- 
missible only when there is implied reference to 
the several states. “The United States is inter- 
ested in the new treaty,” but “ The United States 


GOOD ENGLISH 


221 


are forty-eight in number.” Some opponents of 
a strongly centralized government still cling to 
the plural verb and to all thereby implied. British 
writers who frequently refer to “the States” 
prefer are. 

unkempt. As unkempt means uncombed it 
should not be used for disordered or careless. A 
person may be unkempt, but we should not speak 
of “ unkempt attire” or “an unkempt room.” 
As early as Spenser we find unkempt used in the 
sense of unpolished. 

until. See till. 

up. Up is unnecessary after various verbs. 
A story often opens up with a murder and ends 
up with a marriage; we save up money and we 
study up our lessons ; we eat up our luncheon and 
after we finish up, we pack up our hampers, wash 
up, and go our way. 

upward of. The phrase upward of is some- 
times used for more than, as “ His fortune is esti- 
mated at upward of a million,” or “ There were 
upward of a thousand persons present.” Usually 
this expression should be avoided. 

use. Several modern authorities approve the 
verb use in the affirmative in such constructions as 
“ I used to go there often,” but object to the nega- 
tive form “ I didn't use to go.” Various purists 
commend the colloquial British form “I usedn’t 


222 


GOOD ENGLISH 


to go,” but that locution is not popular in America. 
For the British interrogative “ Usedn’t they to 
live here?” the familiar American substitute is 
“ Didn’t they use to live here ? ” 

used to could. Always avoid the form used to 
could for “I used to be able” or “ I could for- 
merly” as in “I used to could leap across that 
creek.” 

V 

valuable — valued. Valuable means possessing 
value; valued means appreciated by the posses- 
sor. A valued autograph or picture may not be 
valuable . A portrait of yourself at the age of 
three may be valued by you, yet not be valuable. 

ventilate. Do not use ventilate for express, 
as in “ He ventilated his views at the meeting of 
the committee.” 
verbal. See oral. 

very. Note that very should not immediately 
precede a participle used as an adjective, as in 
“ I am very pleased to see you” or “ We are very 
disappointed because they cannot come.” In 
such cases use very much. This misuse is not 
an Americanism, although thus characterized by 
Professor Max Muller. It occurs in many Brit- 
ish writers. 


GOOD ENGLISH 


223 


vest. Vest is said to be an Americanism for 
waistcoat. 

vim. Purists have condemned vim as a collo- 
quial word, but it is now finding its way into our 
standard literature. It was countenanced by so 
careful a writer as Stevenson. 

violoncello. This word should not be spelled 
violincello, which would mean a little violin. The 
word should be so pronounced that there is no 
doubt as to the “o” in the third syllable. 

visit with. Visit with is colloquial for call on, 
as “ I visited with Mr. Harper this afternoon ” or 
“I had a pleasant visit with my aunt.” Such 
usage should be avoided. 

W 

wad. The familiar use of wad , meaning a roll 
of bank-notes, is slang, as “The merchant dis- 
covered that his wad had been stolen.” 
wake. See awake. 

walkist. Do not use walkist for walker , as 
in “ Mr. Weston is an accomplished walkist .” 

way. Note that way or ' way is regarded as a 
colloquial abbreviation for away f as “ The arrow 
flew * way across the field,” or “ His estimate was 
way off.” Compare “ way back in the Dark 
Ages” and “way down South.” 


224 


GOOD ENGLISH 


ways. The use of ways for way is found in 
sideways, lengthways, crossways, etc., and occurs 
colloquially in “The post office is a long ways 
from the station.” Such forms as sidewise, 
lengthwise, etc., are preferred. 

weird. The adjective weird is widely misused 
in the sense of unusual, unattractive, or poor . 
Thus an actor gives a weird performance of 
Hamlet, his costumes are weird and his gestures 
are weird. 

well. Well when used as an interjection is 
another of those remarkable “Americanisms” 
that occur in Shakespeare and are fairly well 
known in the works of modern British writers. 
Those who believe that an Englishman would not 
use well in that sense are evidently unfamiliar 
with recent British fiction and drama. 

welsh rabbit. Observe that rabbit is the 
original and only correct form. It is a popular 
fallacy that rabbit is a vulgar corruption of rare- 
bit and should therefore be disapproved. 

what. What as a relative pronoun should not 
have an antecedent, as in “ He gave all what they 
asked for,” or “ Those animals what we saw at 
the zoo were queer.” 

what. .for. The use of what, .for for why is 
condemned, as in t( What did you hit him for?” 


GOOD ENGLISH 


225 


'It is even worse in the form “ What for did you 
hit him ? ” 

whatever. Do not use whatever for what, as 
in “Whatever are you 'trying to do with that 
stick?” 

when — whenever. The distinction between 
when, meaning at that time, and whenever, mean- 
ing at whatever time, is somewhat irregularly 
established. Whenever is generally preferred to 
indicate habitual action. Contrast “ When Mr. 
Blank passed our home he raised his hat ” with 
“ Whenever Mr. Blank passes our home he 
raises his hat.” 

where. Where is followed colloquially by 
such prepositions as to and at, as in “ Where 
shall I take this to?” and “Where are the cakes 
at?” Professor Lounsbury defends where.. to 
on the ground that it means whither and that it 
is proper when the verb implies motion toward 
a place. Note also that where should not be 
used for in which, as “This is the house where 
I lived for ten years,” or “He showed me the 
letter where he was offered a good position.” 

whereabouts. Note that whereabouts is sing- 
ular and should not be used with a plural verb. 
Avoid “His whereabouts are unknown.” The 
correct form is “ His whereabouts is unknown.” 
The singular form whereabout is also used. 

16 


226 


GOOD ENGLISH 


where’s. While the abbreviation where’s for 
where is may be used in “ Where’s my hat?” or 
“ Where’s my cane?” it should be avoided in the 
plural, as “ Where’s my slippers?” or “ Where’s 
my gloves ? ” Use where are. 

wheres. The form wheres when used for 
where in the compounds everywheres, some- 
wheres, nowheres, etc., is criticized by most 
authorities. 

whether or no. Some critics regard whether 
or no as an undesirable substitute for whether 
or not, but it has won widespread approval. 

whether, .whether. Avoid the repetition of 
whether , as in “ I don’t know whether I shall 
walk or whether I shall ride.” Say u whether I 
shall walk or ride.” 

which — that. The relative pronoun which is 
preferred to that in a clause that is not restrictive. 
Thus “ This book, which I bought yesterday, cost 
me a dollar.” Contrast the restrictive form, 
“ The book that I bought yesterday cost me a 
dollar.” Which is also preferred when several 
clauses occur in the sentence, as “This book, 
which I bought yesterday and which seems to be 
very interesting, was written by Stevenson.” 
Avoid the use of which with a clause or phrase 
for its antecedent, as “ She told the boy to stop 
whistling, which he did,” or “ The audience con- 


GOOD ENGLISH 


227 


tinued to stream in after the concert began, which 
annoyed the singers.” 

who — whom. Distinguish carefully between 
the nominative form who and the objective whom. 
Thus “Who did you ask for?” and “Who 
did you give it to?” are both wrong; so are 
“Who do you take me to be?” and “Who 
should I meet this morning but Jim.” In each 
of these sentences the grammatical construction 
requires whom. As this word is one of the few 
survivors among our inflected forms, certain lib- 
eral authorities now sanction such usage as “ Who 
do you want?” and “ Who did you see?” on the 
ground that whom must eventually become ob- 
solete. Shakespeare has numerous confusions 
between who and whom, as in “ Who hath he left 
behind,” “For who love I so much?” and 
“Whom they suppose is drown’d.” Even so 
careful a writer as Stevenson wrote : “ Some one 
was close behind, I knew not whom !* 

whole. See all. 

whole lot. Avoid whole lot for much or a 
great deal, as in “ I don’t care a whole lot for her 
singing.” Note that “I wouldn’t give a whole 
lot to the fund,” implies that I would not make a 
liberal contribution. 

whose— of which. Some grammarians object 
to the use of whose for of which, as in “We 


228 


GOOD ENGLISH 


passed a house whose windows (the windows of 
which) were broken,” or “ He bought an auto- 
mobile whose price was very high.” In some 
cases whose is not only permitted, but preferred. 
Thus “ The chariot was drawn by six horses, 
whose harness glittered in the sun.” Compare 
Shakespeare’s “ undiscover’d country from whose 
bourne no traveler returns ” or Milton’s “ for- 
bidden tree whose mortal taste,” etc. See which. 

why. Why is sometimes improperly prefixed 
to a sentence in which it has no particular func- 
tion as “ Why , he would sit there for hours at a 
time,” or “ Why , I never saw such a lazy person.” 
At times such use of why may be defended as an 
exclamation of surprise or as a call. 

widow woman. We all know that widow 
woman occurs in the Bible, but it is not acceptable 
in modern English. It would be quite as reason- 
able to urge the use of mother woman or widower 
man. 

will. See shall. 

win out. It is best to avoid the colloquial use 
of win out, meaning to be successful, as in “ I 
am a candidate for first honors and I expect to 
win out.” 

wire. Wire used in the sense of telegraph is a 
convenient verb that is still condemned by a few 


GOOD ENGLISH 


229 


purists, as “ He wired me that he had missed the 
last train.” 

without. Avoid the use of without for unless, 
as in “ I shall not go without you come along.” 
It is properly used as a preposition in “ I shall 
not go without you.” 

womanly — womanish. Note that womanish 
is always unfavorable in its implication. We 
praise the noble womanly qualities of Florence 
Nightingale, but scorn the womanish traits of an 
effeminate man. Compare “ mannish women” 
and “ childish behavior ” with “ manly strength ” 
and “ childlike simplicity.” 

worse than. Do not use worse than for more 
than, as “When she left, I knew that I should 
miss her worse than ever.” 

worst kind. Worst kind is vulgar in the sense 
of very much, as “I wanted a drink the worst 
kind” This means “I was very thirsty,” and 
not “ I wanted the worst kind of drink.” 
would. See should. 

would-be. Journalism still favors the use of 
" would-be murderer” and " would-be thief.” 
would better. See had better, 
would of. Observe that would of is a curious 
error for would have, based on a resemblance in 
sound. Thus “ I would of written sooner, but I 
had no time.” See of — have. 


230 


GOOD ENGLISH 


would rather. See had rather, 
would seem. See should seem, 
write up. Newspaper reporters occasionally 
promise a man to “ write him up ” or to “ give 
him a write-up.” In some instances the expres- 
sion implies specific praise, as “ I hope the critics 
will write up my play.” 

write you. The expressions write you {him, 
her, them) are common, but write to you {him, 
her, them) are preferred. Whenever an object 
follows, to need not be inserted, as “ I shall write 
you an account of my trip,” or “ He will write 
them a letter.” 


Y 

yesterday’s. Some critics condemn the pos- 
sessive yesterday’s as applied to a newspaper, as 
“ I read it in yesterday’s Times.” This usage is 
well established and occurs in various forms. 
There may be a good article on tariff reform 
announced for to-morrow’s T ribune or next Sun- 
day’s Herald. There were probably some good 
things in last month’s Harper’s, and we may ex- 
pect noteworthy literary criticism in next week’s 
Nation. 

you. Avoid the indefinite use of you in such 
instances as “ You rarely hear thunder in Janu- 


GOOD ENGLISH 


231 


ary ” or “ You don’t often get a chance to witness 
a total eclipse of the sun.” There is ample 
literary authority for this construction, but the 
sentence may usually be better expressed. 

you was. You was may be safely dismissed 
as incorrect at all times, although formerly it was 
acceptable when one person was addressed. Pro- 
fessor Lounsbury has shown that you was pre- 
vailed widely during the eighteenth century and 
that it occurred regularly in Fielding’s Tom 
Jones. Curiously enough, those who now de- 
fend you was as correct in the singular have not 
yet made a plea for the adoption of you has or 
you is. Consistency is one of those inexpensive 
jewels on which no duty need be paid. 

yours. Do not use yours in the sense of your 
letter or your note , as “ I have yours of the fifth ” 
or “ In reply to yours of the eighth.” 

yourself. Avoid the use of yourself for you , 
as in “ Yourself and family are invited to attend 
the reception.” Say “ You and your family.” 

Z 

z. The letter “ z ” may be called either zee or 
zed. The name izzard formerly prevailed, but is 
now confined to the phrase “ from a to izzard 
which is equivalent to what our classical friends 
call “ from alpha to omega.” 


232 


GOOD ENGLISH 


zenith. Avoid the use of zenith in meta- 
phorical applications that are far-fetched, as 
“ when his anger had passed its zenith,” or “ Press 
forward till you reach your zenith Note that 
zenith may be used figuratively for culmination, 
but not for goal or destination. 


BIBLIOGRAPHY 


The following list of reference works and 
text-books is included for the benefit of those 
who wish to familiarize themselves with the 
authoritative literature on English grammar and 
usage. Nearly all the books mentioned are of 
comparatively recent date. The well-known 
works of Murray, Brown, Whitney, Muller, 
White, Trench, Alford, Bain, and Moon have 
not been included because in practically all cases 
there are later and more trustworthy authorities 
at hand. For the same reason various popular 
dictionaries have been omitted from the list. 

No attempt has been made to include all the 
noteworthy books produced by recent writers on 
English grammar and composition. In order to 
keep the list within reasonable limits, it was 
found necessary to curtail the citations under 
each of those headings to about twenty repre- 
sentative titles. 

i. History of the English Language 
Bradley, Henry. The Making of English. New York 
(Macmillan) 1904. $1.00. 

Champneys, A. C. History of English. New York 
(Macmillan) 1893. $1.25. 


233 


234 


GOOD ENGLISH 


Earle, John. The Philology of the English Tongue. 

5th ed. Oxford (Clarendon Press) 1892. $2.00. 
Emerson, Oliver F. The History of the English Lan- 
guage. New York (Macmillan) 1894. $ I -25. 
Jespersen, Otto. Growth and Structure of the Eng- 
lish Language. 2d ed. New York (Stechert) 1912. 

$1.25. 

Krapp, George P. Modern English: Its Growth and 
Present Use. New York (Scribner) 1909. $1.25. 
Lounsbury, Thomas R. History of the English Lan- 
guage. Revised ed. New York (Holt) 1894. $1.25. 
Matthews, Brander. Parts of Speech : Essays on Eng- 
lish. New York (Scribner) 1901. $1.25. 

Sweet, Henry A. A Short Historical English Gram- 
mar. Oxford (Clarendon Press) 1892. $1.10. 
Toller, T. N. Outlines of the History of the English 
Language. Cambridge (University Press) 1900. 
$1.10. 

Wyld, Henry C. The Historical Growth of the Mother 
Tongue. New York (Dutton) 1906. $2.00. 

Wyld, Henry C. The Growth of English. New York 
(Dutton) 1907. $1.00. 

2. English Dictionaries 

Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia. 12 vols. New 
York (Century) 1911. $75.00 to $168.00. 

New English Dictionary on Historical Principles. 
10 vols. Oxford (Clarendon Press) 1888-1916. 
$145.00. 

New Standard Dictionary of the English Language. 
New York (Funk & Wagnalls) 1913. $12.00 to 

$ 34 - 00 . 


GOOD ENGLISH 


2 35 


The Students* Standard Dictionary. New York (Funk 
& Wagnalls) 1913. $2.50. 

The Comprehensive Standard Dictionary. New York 
(Funk & Wagnalls) 1913. $1.00. 

Webster’s New International Dictionary of the 
English Language. Springfield, Mass. (Merriam) 
1910. $12.00 to $20.00. 

Webster’s New Secondary School Dictionary. New 
York (American Book Co.) 1913. $1.50. 

3. Synonyms. 

Crabb, George. English Synonyms Explained in Al- 
phabetical Order. New York (Harper) 1905. $1.25. 

Fernald, James C. English Synonyms and Antonyms. 
Revised ed. New York (Funk & Wagnalls) 1914. 
$1.50. 

Flemming, Louis. Synonyms, Antonyms, and Asso- 
ciated Words. New York (Putnam) 1913. $1.25. 

March, Francis A. Thesaurus Dictionary. Philadel- 
phia (Historical Pub. Co.) 1911. $13.50. 

Ordway, Edith B. Synonyms and Antonyms. New 
York (Sully & Kleinteich) 1913. $1.00. 

Roget, Peter M. Thesaurus of English Words and 
Phrases. New York (Longmans) 1909. $1.60. Also 
New York (Crowell) 1911. $1.50, and 2 vols. 
(Everyman’s Library) New York (Dutton) 1913. 
70 cents. 

4. Etymology 

Bell, Raley H. The Worth of Words. 3d ed. New 
York (Hinds, Noble) 1903. $1.25. 

Blackburn, E. M. The Study of Words. New York 
(Longmans) 1911. $1.25. 


236 GOOD ENGLISH 

Fitzgerald, Joseph. Word and Phrase. Chicago (Mc- 
Clurg) 1901. $1.25. 

Greenough, James B., and Kittredge, George L. 

Words and their Ways in English Speech. New 
York (Macmillan) 1901. $1.50. 

Skeat, Walter W. Principles of English Etymology. 
1st and 2d Series. Oxford (Clarendon Press) 1892. 
$4.85. 

Weekley, Ernest. The Romance of Words. New York 
(Dutton) 1912. $1.25. 

5. Spelling and Syllabication 

Bechtel, John H. 135,000 Words Spelled and Pro- 
nounced. Philadelphia (Jacobs) 1911. $1.00. 
Lounsbury, Thomas R. English Spelling and Spell- 
ing Reform. New York (Harper) 1909. $1.50. 
Phyfe, William H. P. Five Thousand Words Mis- 
spelled. New York (Putnam) 1904. 75 cents. 
Teall, F. Horace. The Compounding of English Words. 

New York (Putnam) 1904. $1.00. 

Teall, F. Horace. English Compound Words and 
Phrases. New York (Funk & Wagnalls) 1905. 
$2.50. 

6. Pronunciation 

Abernethy, Julian W. Correct Pronunciation. New 
York (Merrill) 1912. 75 cents. 

Ayres, Alfred. The Orthoepist. New York (Apple- 
ton) 1911. $1.25. 

Lounsbury, Thomas R. The Standard of Pronuncia- 
tion in English. New York (Harper) 1904. $1.50. 
Ordway, Edith B. Mispronounced Words. New York 
(Sully & Kleinteich) 1914. $1.00. 


GOOD ENGLISH 


2 3 7 


Phyfe, William H. P. Eighteen Thousand Words 
Often Mispronounced. New York (Putnam) 1914. 
$ 1 . 50 . 

Salisbury, Albert. Phonology and Orthoepy. Chicago 
(Row, Peterson) 1907. 50 cents. 

7. Grammar 

Baker, Josephine T. Correct English : How to Use It. 
Chicago (Correct Eng. Co.) 1907. $1.25. 

Buehler, Huber G. A Modern English Grammar. Re- 
vised ed. New York (Newson) 1914. 68 cents. 

Carpenter, George R. Principles of English Gram- 
mar. New York (Macmillan) 1899. 75 cents. 

Edwards, Ward H. The Parts of Speech. Liberty, 
Mo., 1912. 50 cents. 

Fernald, James C. A Working Grammar of the Eng- 
lish Language. New York (Funk & Wagnalls) 1908. 
$1.50. 

International Correspondence Schools Reference 
Library. English Grammar, Punctuation and Capi- 
talization, Letter-Writing. Scranton, Pa., 1905. 
$5.00. 

Jespersen, Otto. A Modern English Grammar. Part 
I. Heidelberg (Winter) 1909. $3.00. 

Kellner, Leon. Historical Outlines of English Syn- 
tax. New York (Macmillan) 1892. $1.40. 

Kittredge, George L., and Arnold, Sarah L. The 
Mother Tongue. Book II. Boston (Ginn) 1901. 
60 cents. 

Kittredge, George L., and Farley, F. E. Advanced 
English Grammar. Boston (Ginn) 1913. 80 cents. 

Krapp, George P. The Elements of English Gram- 
mar. New York (Scribner) 1908. 80 cents. 


238 GOOD ENGLISH 

Leonard, Mary H. Grammar and Its Reasons. New 
York (Barnes) 1909. $1.50. 

Maxwell, William H. Advanced Lessons in English 
Grammar. New York (American Book Co.) 1911. 
60 cents. 

Nesfield, J. C. Manual of English Grammar and Com- 
position. New York (Macmillan) 1898. $1.10. 
Onions, C. T. An Advanced English Syntax. New 
York (Macmillan) 1905. $1.00. 

Poutsma, H. A Grammar of Late Modern English. 
3 Parts. Groningen, Holland (Noordhoff) 1904, 
1905, 1914. $6.50. 

Reed, Alonzo, and Kellogg, Brainerd. Higher Les- 
sons in English. Revised ed. New York (Mer- 
rill) 1909. 70 cents. 

Sheffield, Alfred D. Grammar and Thinking. New 
York (Putnam) 1913. $1.50. 

Sweet, Henry. A New English Grammar. 2 Parts. 

Oxford (Clarendon Press) 1900, 1903. $3.50. 

West, Alfred. The Elements of English Grammar. 

Cambridge (University Press) 1893. 60 cents. 
Wood, Thomas. Practical Grammar and Composition. 
New York (Appleton) 1910. 70 cents. 

8. Composition and Rhetoric 

Baldwin, Charles S. Composition, Oral and Written. 

New York (Longmans) 1911. $1.20. 

Baldwin, Charles S. Writing and Speaking. New 
York (Longmans) 1909. $1.20. 

Bates, Arlo. Talks on Writing English. 2 Series. Bos- 
ton (Houghton, Mifflin) 1901. $2.60. 

Brewster, William T. English Composition and Style. 
New York (Century) 1912. $1.35. 


GOOD ENGLISH 


2 39 


Brown, Rollo W., and Barnes, Nathaniel W. The 

Art of Writing English. New York (American 
Book Co.) 1913. $1.20. 

Canby, Henry S., and Obdycke, John B. Elements 
of Composition. New York (Macmillan) 1913. 
$1.00. 

Carpenter, George R. Rhetoric and English Compo- 
sition. New York (Macmillan) 1906. $1.00. 
Frank, Maud M. Constructive Exercises in English. 

New York (Longmans) 1909. 50 cents. 

Fulton, Edward. English Prose Composition. New 
York (Holt) 1911. $1.12. 

Gardiner, Kittredge, and Arnold. Manual of Compo- 
sition and Rhetoric. Boston (Ginn) 1907. $1.00. 
Gerrish, Carolyn M., and Cunningham, Margaret. 
Practical English Composition. Boston (Heath) 
1912. $1.00. 

Hanson, C. L. English Composition. Boston (Ginn) 
1908. 80 cents. 

Herrick, Robert, and Damon, Lindsay T. New Com- 
position and Rhetoric. Chicago (Scott, Foresman) 
1911. $1.00.- 

Lamont, Hammond. English Composition. New York 
(Scribner) 1906. $1.00. 

Lockwood, Sara E. H., and Emerson, Mary A. Com- 
position and Rhetoric. Boston (Ginn) 1901. $1.00. 
Obdycke, John B. Composition Planning. New York 
(Appleton) 1913. 90 cents. 

Scott, Fred N., and Denney, Joseph V. The New 

Composition-Rhetoric. Boston (Allyn & Bacon) 
1911. $1.20. 

Thomas, Charles S., and Howe, Will D. Composi- 
tion and Rhetoric. New York (Longmans) 1908. 
$1.20. 


240 


GOOD ENGLISH 


Thorndike, A. H. Elements of Rhetoric and Compo- 
sition. New York (Century) 1905* $i- 0 O. 

Wendell, Barrett. English Composition. New York 
(Scribner) 1891. $1.50. 

Woolley, Edwin C. Handbook of Composition. New 
York (Heath) 1907. 80 cents. 

Woolley, Edwin C. Mechanics of Writing. New York 
(Heath) 1909. $1.00. 

9. English Usage 

Ayres, Alfred. Some Ill-used Words. New York 
(Appleton) 1901. $1.00. 

Ayres, Alfred. The Verbalist. Revised ed. New York 
(Appleton) 1899. $1.25. 

Baker, Josephine T. The Correct Preposition. Chicago' 
(Correct Eng. Co.) 1911. $1.25. 

Baker, Josephine T. The Correct Word. Chicago 
(Correct Eng. Co.) 1910. $1.25. 

Bechtel, John H. Slips of Speech. Philadelphia (Penn 
Pub. Co.) 1895. 50 cents. 

Bell, Raley H. The Changing Values of English 
Speech. New York (Hinds, Noble) 1909. $1.25. 

Bigelow, Marshall T. Mistakes in Writing English. 
Boston (Lothrop) 1886. 50 cents. 

Bowen, Edwin W. Questions at Issue in our English 
Speech. New York (Broadway Pub. Co.) 1909. 
$1.00. 

Brock, Letta. Errors in Every Day Speech. Bloom- 
ington, 111., 1912. 25 cents. 

Buehler, Huber G. Practical Exercises in English. 
New York (American Book Co.) 1895. 60 cents. 

Bugg, Lelia H. Correct English. 5th ed. St. Louis 
(Herder) 1912. $1.00. 


GOOD ENGLISH 


241 


Call, Richard E. Correct English. New York (Sher- 
wood) 1913. 50 cents. 

Cody, Sherwin. Dictionary of Errors. Chicago (Old 
Greek Press) 1905. 75 cents. 

Compton, Alfred G. Some Common Errors of Speech. 
New York (Putnam) 1898. $1.00. 

Conklin, George W. Don’ts for Speakers and Writers. 
Chicago (Ogilvie) 1906. 25 cents. 

Ellis, Edward S. Common Errors in Writing and 
Speaking. New York (Hinds, Noble) 1895. 50 
cents. 

Erskine, John and Helen. Written English. Revised 
ed. New York (Century) 1913. 40 cents. 

Fernald, James C. Connectives of English Speech. 
New York (Funk & Wagnalls) 1904. $1.50. 

[Fowler, H. W., and F. G.] The King’s English. 2d 
ed. Oxford (Clarendon Press) 1908. $1.75. 

Johnson F. L. Correct English: How to Speak and 
Write It. New York (Publicity Pub. Co.) 1906. 
75 cents. 

Jordan, Mary A. Correct Writing and Speaking. New 
York (Barnes) 1904. $1.00. 

Long, J. H. Slips of Tongue and Pen. New York 
(Appleton) 1888. 60 cents. 

Lounsbury, Thomas R. The Standard of Usage in 
English. New York (Harper) 1908. $1.50. 

Manly, John M., and Powell, John A. A Manual for 
Writers. Chicago (Univ. of Chicago Press) 1913* 
$1.25. 

Manual of Style. 3d ed. Chicago (Univ. of Chicago 
Press) 1911. $1.00. 

Nesfield, J. C. Errors in English Composition. New 
York (Macmillan) 1903. 90 cents. 


17 


GOOD ENGLISH 


242 

Orcutt, William Dana. The Writer’s Desk Book. 

New York (Stokes) 1912. 60 cents. 

Ordway, Edith B. Slips of Speech and Punctuation. 

New York (Sully & Kleinteich) 1914. 50 cents. 
Russell, Thomas H. Faulty Diction. Chicago (Ogil- 
vie) 1905. 25 cents. 

Utter, Robert P. A Guide to Good English. New 
York (Harper) 1914. $1.20. 

Vizetelly, Frank H.. A Desk Book of Errors in Eng- 
lish. New York (Funk & Wagnalls) 1906. 75 cents. 
Williams, Ralph O. Some Questions of Good Eng- 
lish. New York (Holt) 1897. $1.75. 


10. Punctuation 

Benedict, B. English Punctuation. New York (Ameri- 
can Book Co.) 1899. 60 cents. 

Bigelow, M. T. Punctuation and Other Typographical 
Matters. Boston (Lothrop) 1909. 50 cents. 

Cochrane, C. H. Punctuation and Capitalization. New 
York (Shakespeare Press) 1910. 50 cents. 

Dickson, William B. Modern Punctuation. New York 
(Putnam) 1903. 75 cents. 

Husband, T. F., and M. F. A. Punctuation: Its Prin- 
ciples and Practice. New York (Dutton) 1905. 
75 cents. 

Spencer, M. Lyle. Practical English Punctuation. 
Menasha, Wis. (Banta Pub. Co.) 1914. 60 cents. 

Teall, F. Horace. Punctuation, with Chapters on Hy- 
phenizadon, Capitalization, and Spelling. New York 
(Appleton) 1909. $1.00. 


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243 


11. Business English 

Altmaier, Carl L. Commercial Correspondence. Re- 
vised ed. New York (Macmillan) 1913. 70 cents. 

Baker, Josephine T. Correct Business Letter Writing 
and Business English. Chicago (Correct Eng. Co.) 
1911. $1.25. 

Banks, Eleanora. Correct Business Forms. New York 
(Putnam) 1912. $1.25. 

Buhlig, Rose A. Business English. New York (Heath) 
1914. $1.10. 

Cody, Sherwin. How to Do Business by Letter and 
Advertising. London (Constable) 1912. $1.50. 

Davis, Roy, and Lingham, Clarence. Business Eng- 
lish and Correspondence. Boston (Ginn) 1914. 
$1.00. 

Dwyer, Ion E. The Business Letter. Boston (Hough- 
ton Mifflin) 1914. $1.00. 

Fowler, Nathaniel C. The Art of Letter Writing. 
New York (Sully & Kleinteich) 1913. 50 cents. 

Hagar, Hubert A. Applied Business English. New 
ed. Chicago (Gregg) 1913. $1.25. 

Kimball, Gustavus S. Business English. Indianapolis 
(Bobbs) 1911. 50 cents. 

Lewis, Edwin H. Business English. Chicago (La 
Salle Extension) 1911. $1.40. 

Marshall, Carl C. Business English. Cedar Rapids, 
Iowa (Goodyear-Marshall) 1906. $1.20. 

Smith, C. J., and Mayne, D. D. Modern Business 
English. Chicago (Lyons) 1906. 80 cents. 

Teller, William P., and Brown, Henry C. Modern 
Business Methods. Chicago (Rand, McNally) 1912. 
75 cents. 

Webber, Iva M. Handbook of Commercial English. 
Boston (Palmer) 1913. 75 cents. 


244 


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Bleyer, Willard G. Newspaper Writing and Editing. 

Boston (Houghton, Mifflin) 1913. $1.65. 

Blythe, Samuel G. Making of a Newspaper Man. 

Philadelphia (Altemus) 1912. 50 cents. 

Fowler, Nathaniel C. The Handbook of Journalism. 

New York (Sully & Kleinteich) 1913. $1.00. 
Harrington, Harry F., and Frankenberg, Theodore 
T. Essentials in Journalism. Boston (Ginn) 1912. 
$ 1 - 75 . 

Hyde, Grant M. Newspaper Reporting and Corres- 
pondence. New York (Appleton) 1912. $1.50. 
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Ross, Charles G. Writing of News. New York (Holt) 
1911. $1.40. 

Shuman, Edwin L. Practical Journalism. New York 
(Appleton) 1903. $1.25. 


Early Reviews of English Poets 


Edited With an Introduction by 

JOHN LOUIS HANEY, Ph.D. 


The Regular Edition, bound in red buckram 
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$1.20 net. 

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“Dr. John Louis Haney has performed a task of 
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. . . It is an amusing and certainly an edifying book.”— 
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“ An interesting and serviceable survey of the his- 
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taining collection.” — Dr. Richard Garnett in The 
Speaker. 


THE EGERTON PRESS 

934 North Eleventh Street PHILADELPHIA 


A Bibliography of 

Samuel Taylor Coleridge 

BY 

JOHN LOUIS HANEY, Ph.D. 


This important bibliography was issued in an 
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taking and very excellent work.” — The Literary Collector. 


THE EGERTON PRESS 


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The Name of 

William Shakespeare 

A STUDY IN ORTHOGRAPHY 

BY 

JOHN LOUIS HANEY, Ph.D. 

This extensive study deals with the origin, 
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MONSIEUR D’OR 

A DRAMATIC FANTASY 

BY 

JOHN LOUIS HANEY 

The New York “ NATION ” accorded to this 
play the unusual distinction of an unqualifiedly 
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